Enemy Mine
by Nythe
Summary: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy? AU. WA centered.
1. Interim

**Author's Note: For the purpose of this story, I need to explain a few of things. _Enemy Mine _is set in an alternate universe where the land is divided and at war between men and demons. The setting of the story takes place in a mish-mash background of Medieval, Victorian and Present elements. The characters are from different timelines and some have been minorly tweaked. Aside from that, I'm a Spuffy fan all the way (and that's why there will be Buffy/Spike pairing eventually) but this story centers around Willow and Angel/Angelous. What could be more of a challenge than trying to see who or what can tame the bad boy of all vampires? **

**This is my first foray into fan fiction. I hope you enjoy. -Nythe**

**Enemy Mine**

**Rating**: M for language, violence, and adult content

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Ch. 1 - Interim **

The breeze was cool, a fresh scent in the current. The French doors leading to the balcony were open and the sheer white curtains moved like gossamer wings inside the darkened room. Only the moonlight illuminated the interior and the sole occupant on the room's bed.

A dark figured stood outside, looking up into the balcony, the doors an open invitation. Dark clouds moved across the full, bright moon, screening the light and plunging the world into a temporary darkness. When they passed, the figured stood on the balcony, ten feet above the ground.

For a moment he stood still, just looking in, into the bedroom. The curtain's movement teased the view like a game of peek-a-boo. The dark interior beckoned, more seductive than anything he could ever have imagined. A slow smile crossed his lips and he stepped in.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow awoke with a sudden opening of her eyes. She lay still in bed and searched the bedroom with her gaze, her senses going out and trying to pick up the cause of her discomfort. Something was different. Something was wrong. She couldn't find the source but her body felt what her mind couldn't. There was an inner trembling in her limbs responding to the sensation of the cold that she was experiencing, spreading throughout her body like ice water. Her breathing was becoming erratic: short and shallow. Willow slowly picked up her upper body, resting her weight on her hands. She looked toward the end of the room where the shadows where the deepest, beyond the farthest reach of the foot of her bed and tried to pierce the blackness.

With a sense of trepidation, fear and startlement, she watched as a shadow disengaged from the rest and slowly moved toward her. With a gasp, she took the sight of him in. In less than a second, her brain processed the images that made up that moment. He wore the dark clothes of his kind, concealing him from wandering eyes. Dark leather pants, dark silk shirt, dark hair, dark eyes, skin of cold marble. The breeze carried the scent of roses and jasmine in the air from the garden.

"Angel?" she whispered.

He slowly stalked toward her bed with the fluid grace of a predator, never once breaking contact with her eyes. Willow gulped and tried scooting backwards but it was difficult finding purchase in the cream silk sheets and she only ended up backing into her pillows.

"Wha-?" Willow tried to comprehend what was going on. Sleep still stubbornly clouded her conscience making her confused.

"I promised I would come for you," his voice rumbled, low and deep, and washed over her body like a forbidden caress.

Her eyes widen, all vestiges of sleep or confusion gone. "Angelous."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Angelous," Willow whispered.

He gave her a slow, seductive grin and placed his hands on the bed.

"But how?"

"You have been very naughty, my Fire," Angelous responded, yanking the covers off Willow's body in one hard pull of his arm and moving onto the bed. He began crawling toward her in slow, sensuous movements.

"I…I…I…" She tried to talk, to explain, to say something in her defense, to stop his advance but her throat was dry and her mouth moved up and down in silence, unable to get out more than that one syllable. She tried to move back as he moved forward but the pillows barred her way and she fell back onto them in her haste.

"My Fire," Angelous purred, coming up before her bended knees and kneeled before them. The gravity of the situation finally registered in Willow's head and she raised her slender hand to magically push the vampire off her bed….and couldn't. His eyes pierced Willow's and held her immobile.

"What? What are you doing?" she asked him in a panicked breath.

"I had hoped not to resort to this, but I really can't let you imprison me again," Angelous answered.

"What have you done?"

"Shh, my Fire. Don't fret, you only go under my thrall if you try to imprison me."

Willow was incensed. "What! How dare you?"

"It's a precautionary measure. What would you have me do?" Angelous queried. "You don't give me much of a choice--"

"You could leave. You know, better yet, you could not have come back at all."

Angelous gave Willow a smoldering stare. "I made a promise."

"No, no promise. I never asked for any promise, no."

Angelous slowly smiled and snaked his hands over her bare legs. "I gave it anyway. Don't you remember?"

Willow visibly gulped. How could she ever forget?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5 MONTHS AGO

-----------------------

Willow walked down the corridor of the mansion toward her room. Her arms were loaded up with books from the library. After finally hitting her head on one of the long study tables when her head dropped off from sleep, she decided to quit her research and get much needed rest. She had been working almost non-stop for more than forty-eight hours in their most recent crisis. The Slayer, who also happened to be her best friend had committed the worst sin imaginable for a slayer and had inconsequently unleashed the Council's most feared enemy. For as long as anybody could remember, the Council had been at war with the Shadowlands. A border of forest and mountains divided the territory between the Council and the Shadowland and nobody from either side ever ventured to the other unless they were the most strongest and feared warriors. The purpose of each crossing always ended in some kind of death. Most ventures nowadays were raids done in the cover of darkness but that wasn't always the case. A long time ago, the general from the Shadowland was bound by a sect of the Council's. A group of gypsies, living near the border, were almost completely decimated when the general and his men culled the camp. Nobody called them men though, because they weren't. They were monsters that could wear human masks. They had supernatural speed and strength and senses beyond mortal humans. They were immortal, practically unbeatable….and they were dead. To sustain their life, they had to take the life of others. Their essence. Their blood. They were the nightmares that roamed the night. Under the general's rule, thousands were killed. He was efficient and ruthless. He became known to the Council as "The Scourge". In revenge, the surviving members of the gypsy camp who were at the time in the Council's Headquarter for official matters, devised a way to punish the general in the most painful way possible. They cursed him - a thousand times more torturous than a quick death - and gave him a soul. And so the most feared vampire was felled, and thus the general Angelous became Angel, the cage where the monster resided.

Although Angelous had been bound, the Council feared that that wouldn't be the last of him. As long as Angel roamed, there was the danger of the reemergence of the general.

The Council was right.

They just could never have imagined the cause of his reemergence.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6 MONTHS AGO

------------------------

"Willow. Willow wake up," Buffy hissed in the redhead's ear, shaking her lightly on the shoulder.

Willow woke with a start and hit her head with Buffy's. "Ow!" She rubbed her temple and blinked owlishly. "Bu-Buffy? What? What are you doing here? What time is it?"

"Never mind the time, Willow. I need your help."

"What?" Willow repeated confused. "It's still dark outside. How long did I sleep?"

"I don't know but -"

"It's still night and I'm tired," Willow slurred and dropped her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes.

"Willow, focus!" Buffy was becoming exasperated with her best friend. She shaked her again.

Willow instantly sat up on the bed on reflex, "I'm up, I'm up!"

Buffy sighed in relief when her friend's eyes cleared up of any sleep.

"What are you doing here, Buffy?" Willow asked, no less confused than before but clearheaded.

When Buffy started crying, Willow was at a loss and didn't know what to do. She pushed the bedcovers off her and scooted closer to her friend to wrap her in a hug.

"Oh, Will, I don't know what to do," Buffy finally said when her tears slowed down.

"What is it, Buffy?" Willow sat back and took her friend's hand in her own. "What's wrong?"

"It's terrible," Buffy raggedly whispered. "A nightmare."

Willow was becoming alarmed. She had never seen her friend so distraught, so sad, so hopeless. Buffy always had a carefree attitude. Even in the worst of times, among the most dire news or before and after a skirmish, Buffy had a lighthearted view of things. Willow was always amazed at how nothing could get Buffy down. She was peppy. She was peppy Buffy. A real unorthodox Vampire Slayer that confused and aggravated the Council to no end and always amused Willow. So Buffy's present attitude was very troubling to say the least.

Buffy took a deep steadying breath. "There's something I have to tell you. I've…I've been keeping a secret…."

"A secret?"

"A _big _secret," Buffy clarified.

When nothing more was forthcoming, Willow nodded in understanding. "Ok."

Buffy took another deep breath. "I've been seeing someone."

Willow's mouth opened in surprise. "Buffy, I thought I was your best friend. Why didn't you ever say anything?" she asked in a hurt tone.

"Oh, Willow, you are! You are my best friend. It's just that," she chewed on her lower lip nervously, "this guy I've been seeing….he's, uhmm…..he's, well technically not a guy…"

Willow was confused. Again. "Huh?"

"Yeah, see, the thing is…"

"What? What Buffy? Spit it out."

"It's Angel," Buffy mumbled under her breath.

Willow obviously hadn't caught that. "Come again?"

In a louder voice, "Angel. I've been seeing Angel."

Willow was speechless. Did she hear right? And what in the world could she say to that little bombshell. She blinked in surprise. "Angel?"

"Yes," Buffy whispered.

She dropped her friend's hands. "The General?" Willow squeaked.

"No!" Buffy tried to placate, "Angel is good. He has a soul. Remember the stories? The vampire with a soul?"

Willow was shaking her head, disbelief and amazement warring with each other as the most prevalent emotions. "Ok. Ok, Angel. The vampire with a soul Angel…. Angel, that _houses the_ _general Angelous_," Willow finished with an almost shriek.

"Will-"

"Buffy?"

Buffy tried to explain but Willow cut her off. "Buffy, I can't believe what you've been doing. And in secret all along!"

Buffy bit her lip and grimaced, "Yeah, about that…"

"What? What Buffy? I don't think you can shock me anymore than you've already have."

"Oh, I think I can still shock you. A lot."

Willow looked at her with growing alarm.

"There's a problem with Angel," Buffy continued with her explanation. "I'm not really sure but I…I think Angelous is back."

"_What?_"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow's brain couldn't function properly. Well, to be fair, none of her body seemed to be in her control. She couldn't move a muscle if her life depended on it. And it probably did. She had entered Buffy's chamber with something more than trepidation, knowing well that a vampire - possibly Angelous, the most feared and hated vampire in history - was behind the door. Seeing him was beyond shocking. She had really hoped, that her friend had somehow been wrong and hallucinated the whole thing. Better yet, that Willow might still be in bed, dreaming and believing like in all scary bizaro dreams that she was really awake and everything was truth.

Well, everything was true.

The vampire lay unconscious on Buffy's bed, halfway propped up on the headboard, with his hands chained over his head and secured to the metal in the headboard. He was half-naked….uh, all naked judging by the way the sheet rid low on the vampire's waist and left expose a very tantalizing bit of flesh.

She had to hand it to her friend. At least she knew how to pick them in the looks department. Too bad she didn't have better grasp of the concept: vampire (especially the master general) + human (especially a Slayer) one big No No.

"Will?" Buffy's hesitant voice cut in Willow's introspection.

"There's a vampire in your bed," Willow unnecessarily pointed out.

"He's unconscious," Buffy tried to placate.

"He's naked." Willow quirked an eyebrow.

Buffy's face flamed red in embarrassment of the obvious indication of their earlier activities.

Willow chose to ignore her friend's discomfort for more pressing matters. "How did he get in here? The whole mansion is heavily secured with the latest security and magic wards. How did he get in without anything going off?"

"I invited him in," Buffy confessed.

"What!" Willow's quota of shocking surprises was past full. "Since when?"

"Not long."

Evasive answers were not going to work. Willow put on her resolve face. "How long, Buffy?"

Buffy's eyes strayed everywhere but at Willow when she answered. "A little over five months."

"You mean to tell me that _he_," Willow pointed to the vampire, "has had free access to one of the Council's mansions where the current Slayer - and her team might I add - reside?"

"You don't understand. Angel is good. You just need to get to know him like I do to see that there never was any danger."

Willow gave her friend an incredulous stare.

"There was no danger," Buffy repeated, trying to emphasize her point, excuse her action and convince Willow.

"No?" Willow's gaze shifted to the manacles around the vampire and Buffy visibly deflated in lieu of the recent events.

"I don't understand," Buffy said in a weak voice. "I don't know what happened. One moment he was fine….and the next….he changed into game face and lunged for my throat."

With a great shuddering sigh, Willow resolved to do whatever was needed to help the slayer. Buffy was her friend, practically her sister, and seeing her so sad, so confused and scared was breaking Willow's heart in two. No matter what had happened or what Buffy had done, Willow's power and expertise was at her command. She would help, dammit. Even if it meant getting near the infamous, possibly homicidal, naked vampire. "Okay, if you want me to help, I need you to tell me everything that went on tonight that could have been different from other times."

When Buffy blushed and started to open her mouth, Willow cut her off, having a feeling were her friend might take the conversation. "No graphic lusty details please!"

The room was silent for a moment while Buffy gathered her thoughts and her courage. Her eyes turned to the figure of the vampire on the bed, her gaze unfocused, her mind reliving the events of the night. "We made love," she whispered.

Willow's eyes widened in surprise. Although she had guessed - _hello_ _naked vampire on the bed! - _it was an entire matter altogether to have it confirmed out loud.

"It was our first time. It was my first time. I thought that this was it - we were going to finally express our love for each other; I was going to give myself in love to the man I love and plan to spend the rest of my life with. I was so happy, so excited…so nervous…."

"So what happened?" Willow softly asked.

Buffy gave a small shrug, her eyes tearing up. "After he…uhmm…came…his body convulsed. I thought nothing of it. Probably normal, right? Well, he then looked down at me and - and his face changed. He lunged at my throat but my slayer side was already on alert the second he went into game face. I head butted him and …uhmm…kneed him in the groin, and finally punched him unconscious. I secured him to the bed, not knowing what else to do."

"Where did you get the manacles?" Willow couldn't help but ask, eyeing the chains dubiously.

"Oh, they're from our weapon's arsenal."

"Can he get out of them?"

"No. They're magically locked and enforced. They're used only for the capture of demons and vampires."

"I didn't know this," Willow said confused. "Since when does the Council capture them and why?"

Buffy shrugged. "Don't know. For interrogation purposes."

Willow's brow furrowed. "Huh." After a long moment of again eyeing the chains fastened to the vampire, Willow built up her nerve and strode to the bed. Without taking her eyes off Angel, she gingerly sat on the very edge of the mattress and pressed a button to unlock a black, medium sized bag she was carrying. When the bag opened, Willow turned to it to quickly retrieve a small, glass vial containing a silver powder in it.

"What's that?"

"This," Willow explained to Buffy, "will help me determine what is wrong."

"How?"

"It will help me sense around and through the matter. In this case, Angel. If there is anything off in the order of nature, I will be able to detect it."

"Wow, that's kinda nifty."

Taking a steadying breath, Willow uncorked the bottle and poured the powder into the palm of her hand. Closing her eyes and concentrating on the spell, she raised her hand near her mouth and blew the powder toward the vampire. The powder shimmered and sparkled, raining down and swirling around Angel as if in slow motion.

Then Willow's eyes snapped open and Buffy was taken aback at her friend's transformation. Her eyes were completely covered in the same whitish-silver color of the powder. Their color reflected the movement and the light of the fine particles as the spell wove itself around them. The tableau was mesmerizing and surreal.

Buffy was so captivated by the magic that she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

Being in a state of trance was a mesh of contradictions that always left Willow awed but puzzled. The body was numb, in a position of dissociation that yet, could sense everything around it in a heightened awareness that would never be detected as such levels before in normal circumstances. Thus, the events that unfolded should not have come as a surprise; although the spell allowed her to "see" what was wrong, it also made her vulnerable and didn't let her react in time to the danger.

Having biding his time and sensing that moment to make his escape, in one strong jerk, Angel snapped the headboard holding the chains in place . Faster than anyone could react, he lowered his manacled wrists over the witch and fiercely pulled her against him.

His face morphed and he struck, his fangs sinking deep into her neck.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch. 2 - When Sleeping Beasts Awaken


	2. When Sleeping Beasts Awaken

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine:** Angelous pays a visit to Willow which causes her to remember everything that lead up to that point. Buffy reveals her secret and asks for Willow's help.

**Ch 2 - When Sleeping Beasts Awaken**

His face morphed and fangs easily breached the resistance of her creamy skin. In one fluid motion, he got off from the bed, the witch securely held against his body and the set of his fangs. His golden eyes glittered with cold calculated intelligence at the slayer as he swiftly processed the best way of escape.

For her part, the Slayer was immobile. She really hadn't thought that Angel would be a threat. If not because it was Angel, then because he was secured with chains. Damn vampire strength! Now she couldn't make a movement against him without putting Willow's life in a more precarious position. As it was, the witch was rigid in Angel's arms, small tremors running along her body. Fear was uncoiling inside Buffy's stomach. If it weren't for her, Willow wouldn't be in danger. How was she going to get her out of the vampire's arms alive?

Buffy's hand twitched in frustration. She was a girl of action and the situation demanded that she act and save her friend. But how? Angel's eyes were intense on her and when she involuntarily twitched, his fangs sank deeper in Willow's neck. That action stilled her even more and she held her breath in horror as she followed thin rivulets of blood slide down her friend's skin. It wasn't until they were absorbed by the cloth of the pajama's top that she snapped her eyes back on Angel.

Too late. Just a couple of seconds of inattention was all Angel needed to make his move and escape. Before she could even cry out, he ran to the doors leading out to her balcony in a blur of vampiric speed and jumped down.

With her heart thudding in her throat, Buffy rushed outside and made the jump down without processing the third story height that jarred her bones. She made a full scan but she couldn't see him anywhere. Dark shadows covered everything and the woods in the distance mocked her plight.

Her stomach was fairly bursting not only with fear now but also with panic and shock.

She had no idea where he had gone.

And where he had taken Willow.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She awoke slowly. Sound was the first sense that she was able to register. And that in itself was strange since it was its absence of noise that thundered loudly through her awareness. She should have heard at least the movement of the breeze flowing through the curtains, the chirping of the insects, the calls of bird to bird. There was nothing but a stillness that reminisced of time stilled, engulfed in layers of cotton, molasses thick and heavy.

Willow tried to open her eyes but the effort she was expending on such a simple act was enormous. Her body was not responding. There was a heaviness deep in her bones that weighed her down and tried to pull her under again into an oblivion as dark and seductive as death. With a tremendous effort of will, she raised her eyelids by fractions until her blurry sight could adjust and clear. A gray stone-looking ceiling came into focus. Maybe opening her eyes wasn't such a good idea. Where the hell was she? Where was her pale-mint ceiling?

The images came rushing to her mind from one moment to the next, triggering her body to react and jolting into a sitting position. Her hand flew to her neck and her fingers brushed along tender skin, along scabs that had formed over puncture wounds. She gasped for breath. She was alive? She was alive!

Before relief could flood her system, a feminine giggle sounded out in the unknown room and raced across her nerve endings. With wide eyes, she watched a pale, exotic, dark haired woman dressed in a lace dress and clutching a porcelain doll to her chest step into her line of sight.

"Mrs. Edith told me to come see what Daddy had brought home," said the woman in a seductively childlike voice. She giggled again and swayed to a music only she could hear. "Mmm, Daddy is home. Mrs. Edith had told me sure he would return." She smiled and looked straight at Willow, "Mrs. Edith never lies."

Okay, what? Willow felt like she was missing something, not including _where the hell _she was.

The woman's gaze went back to a point unfocused and she frowned, slightly annoyed. "I wasn't told about you. Nobody told Princess about you." She looked at Willow in expectation, waiting for an answer.

"Um, sorry?" Willow tentatively said, not really knowing what else to do.

"Hmm, yes you should be. Musn't keep secrets. Naughty, naughty." She snapped her teeth toward her and Willow jumped, startled. She giggled again, pleased with the redhead's reaction. Swaying toward her, she contemplated, "You'd make a nice dolly. So much power. A nice dolly for Mummy. Yes, I think I shall like to keep you. I don't think Daddy will mind. Well, not too much. He did eventually let me keep my sweet, dark knight. Wouldn't you like to be Mummy's?"

Willow could do nothing but stare as the woman's pale eyes captured her own in a swirling net of entrapment. She could do nothing as part of her mind acknowledge the face in front of her shifting to eyes of gold, brow ridges and fangs.

Oh crap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I think you're just taking off skin now, gramps," observed a voice from against the wall, near the entrance to the room that housed a natural spring pool.

Cursing was the only reply that came from the enraged vampire as he continued to scrub his body with furious jerky movements.

When the drawled comment of "I think I smell blood" got no response from Angelous, the vampire leaning against the wall decided to change the topic of his observations. "You gave us quite a surprise, you did. Coming in like that all of a sudden. Without a stitch of clothing...chained...holding a human...smelling of Slayer."

Angelous roared his displeasure at hearing those last words. He turned toward his grand-childe showing his demonic visage and growled, "Do not speak of that ever again, William."

"What?" It seemed William was not one to heed warnings. "About smelling like Slay-"

Angelous bared his fangs and in one quick motion jumped out of the pool and lunged at the other vampire, grabbing his neck in one hand and lifting him off the floor. "_Do. No. Speak. Of. That. Ever. Again_," he bit out, squeezing William's neck a little more tightly with every word.

The smaller, blond vampire held his grand-sire's gaze and after a long moment of complete silence, he was let go, crumpling against the wall from the sudden release. Regaining his bearings, the vampire cautiously stood up to his full height. "All right," he muttered. Then, "We didn't expect you back, you know. Nobody did. Probably not even Dru."

Angelous had walked away but turned his head back at that. "I know."

"S'pose I can't ask how that came about?" inquired the other vampire.

"No," was the harsh response.

William watched Angelous in silence while the other went over to a stone bench and picked up a pair of leather trousers to put on. Not being very good with handling the silence, he spoke again. "It's Spike now."

Coming out of nowhere, the statement made no sense to the older vampire. "What?"

"It's Spike. I'm not William anymore." At Angelous' measuring look, Spike continued in a lower voice. "You should know that better than anyone."

And Angelous did know. The complete difference between his human self Liam. Then his vampire self, Angelous. And finally Angel, the human soul that tormented him, kept him locked away inside himself. Transformations all that forcibly, fundamentally changed him. Angel could no more be Angelous, than Angelus could no more be Liam, and vise versa. Everything changed: physiologically and psychologically. The body. The mindset. The senses. The urges.

He had been all. Prey. Predator. And the in-between, a Shade.

Sometimes lines could be blurred. But most of the time, they couldn't… because some things were just impossible to cross.

"Nice surprise you brought along. What are you planning to do with it?" Spike asked conversationally, not betraying his curiosity toward the young, human female that his grand-sire had brought in like a prized catch to only dump her off to him and forget about her while he roared and raged and practically destroyed the great hall along with minions and captured humans. His sudden burst into the castle, naked, chained and bloodied by cuts and scratches on his skin and the torn soles of his feet had been a sight no one that left unscathed would ever forget. His unleashed fury had been quite terrifying to witness. Never before had he been so mindlessly brutal as those moments. The soul, it seemed, had done quite a lot of damage and nothing but anger had remained. If Spike weren't so reckless, he'd be afraid of his grand-sire's possible insanity.

As if just remembering, Angelous' predatory gazes swung to him. "Ah, yes, the little witch," he said in a low, menacing voice.

Before he knew what was happening, Angelous stalked by Spike and out of the room. Spike could do nothing else but follow him at a distance, curiosity being at the forefront of his mind. He hadn't dared touch the girl more than was necessary when she was dropped into his arms. He wasn't stupid. Angelous had brought her in for a reason, if nothing else, to simply kill her at his leisure. But it was rather surprising, her presence. Her blood had been on Angelous' mouth, his bite clearly visible on her neck, and yet she wasn't drained. Curious. By the looks of it, his newly freed state should have gone immediately for the kill. Who would pass up the first taste of human blood after being caged for more than a century?

Angelous had reached his chamber. Spike had deposited the unconscious girl in Angelous' bed, not really knowing where else to put her. The castle was always swarmed with Aurelian vampires as well as other visiting clans. No other place would keep her until Angelous remembered her but his own chamber, which had stood empty for over a century since he had been gone. Spike, next in line and acting commander since Angelous' absence, hadn't touched it out of fear and respect for the head of the Order that although cursed and absent, still lived and roamed. Spike knew that as long as he was out there, there was a chance he could return.

And he did.

In what state though, would be anybody's guess. As a betting man, Spike figured that he would stop at nothing until he destroyed the Council for what they did to him.

Hmm, that could be fun.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow was sure she was vamp food. She could do nothing to save herself from the vampire's thrall. If she could move to laugh, she would. She felt in a hysterical sort of way that it was really funny that with all the power she could command, she really could do nothing to save herself.

That really sucked big time. Figuratively _and_ literally.

Then suddenly, something crashed open and the female vampire was gone. Willow blinked the hold away in time to witness the female vampire being yanked back and thrust away into the arms of a platinum blonde haired man by a partially dressed and wet Angelous.

Oh dear god.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"Out!" Angelous ordered to the two vampires.

Willow's frightened eyes swung from the general to the two retreating figures and back again. As he moved toward her, she tried to scramble back on the dark bed she was on. As he neared, Willow's breath was coming in faster and faster panicked pants.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod…

His eyes turned gold and Willow jumped out of the bed and dashed toward the open doorway, escape her desperate goal.

He lunged and she shrieked when he captured her, both arms holding her against his wet and cold flesh. She flayed against him, kicking and twisting. He violently thrust her away and she landed hard on the cold, stone floor sending stabs of pain throughout her body. She was up before he could move toward her again and she almost froze when she saw Angelous with his demonic visage.

Fear snapped her out of her immobility when he lunged at her again. Only a survival instinct made her remember her magic as she gathered energy from the atmosphere and threw it at him in a small concentrated ball. He hit the opposite wall with the impact and roared in anger. She tried for the door again but he was faster than her and he backhanded her, the blow sending her into a spin and making her hit the side of the bed. Before she could make for another attack, he was pinning her against the mattress and his teeth were latched in her neck.

She cried out. The pain was excruciating. The first time he had bitten her she had been under a trance and so she hadn't felt the whole impact. The bite had been more of a cold shock than anything else when it had forcefully yanked her out of the trance. She had soon afterwards just lost consciousness due to shock, fear and residual aborted magic. This was altogether different.

Her life force was being pulled out of her body. Sucked out in deep, powerful pulls that carried her essence in a screaming, struggling rush. Panic was way beyond her now. She couldn't dislodge the master vampire from her, his whole weight pressing down on her. She was fast losing consciousness, vision dimming and becoming lightheaded. In a move of desperation - a last ditch attempt before succumbing to death - she surged her being in a rush of power out the palm flat against Angelous' chest over his unbeating heart. Her back arched, her eyes opened wide, and she opened her mouth for a scream that was silent as the world dissolved around her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pounding at the door was loud and frantic. Giles barely had his eyeglasses on before the door was forcefully opened and a hysterical Slayer rushed in.

"Giles, you have to help me! " she cried out, tears streaming down her face. She took his arm and was practically dragging him out of bed.

"Hold on, Buffy," he said as he tried to calm her down and get his bearings. Good God, it wasn't even past one in the morning!

"No, Giles, you don't understand! It's all my fault. Dammit, it's all my fault! I asked for her help and now…oh god! I don't know what happened to him. I don't know where he took her. I don't know where they went. Oh, god, Giles! You have to get the team together and mount a search and rescue operation, now! Right now!"

Giles hastily put on his robe over his blue pajamas as he tried to make sense on his slayer's panicked ramblings. She was a ball of frenetic energy as she paced his room and wrung out her hands until her tanned skin was white in stark relief. Her long, blonde hair was tangled and her face streaked with tears. Her own nightclothes were rumpled and hastily placed on her slight frame. The waist of the pajama bottoms was slightly twisted and off center and her lilac top had not completely been pulled down; it scrunched above her chest and left a good portion of her stomach bare. She was barefoot and oddly enough, he noticed, her feet were stained with dirt. He frowned at the picture she made, so incongruous with her normal, everyday, almost impeccable appearance.

"Now, Buffy, what is this all about?" Giles asked, trying to understand. "What is all your fault and why do we need a search and rescue operation?"

"Angel took her," she whispered to herself. Buffy's eyes then turned to Giles, wide in their starkness. "I think…I think Angelous took Willow."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch. 3 Mine Enemy


	3. Mine Enemy

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine:** Angelous takes Willow hostage and carries her off to Castle Aurelius inside the Shadowlands. Willow wakes up to meet Drusilla and gets saved from the vampiress only to fall into the hands of Angelous. Buffy goes to Giles for help.

**Ch 3 - Mine Enemy**

"So, why am I here again?" asked Cordelia in a voice that conveyed both boredom and irritation.

"Yes, G-man, why is she here?" wondered Xander, looking at Cordelia as if she were from another planet. She in turn looked at him as if he were a freak.

"Please, Xander, I've asked you not to call me that," said Giles to Xander before addressing the room at large. "And to answer both your question…well, everyone's question, is that you were all woken and called in because we seem to have a very serious situation at hand."

"Really?" queried Wesley with interest, the watcher for the specialists team. "Is it another attempt at an apocalypse because we weren't informed from headquarters - "

"It's nothing of the sort Wesley," interrupted Giles.

"Then why call us in? The only time we've worked together is when there is an apocalypse. None of the battles we've fought have been large enough to merit joined effort. You know we all have separate sectors to patrol."

"It's not an apocalypse but this matter is just as important and dire," stated Giles, removing his glasses from his face and beginning to clean them with a handkerchief he took out of his pocket.

"Okay, so what is it already?" asked Cordelia annoyed. "And it better be of major proportions for getting us here at this ungodly hour." She was in a more prickly mood than usual since she had been woken up so rudely and ordered to come down immediately for an emergency meeting in the library. Seeing that she wasn't the only one that dressed in haste did not make her feel any better. Some of them like Buffy, Tara and Oz were still in their nightclothes.

"Gee, Cordy, if you were doing your job, maybe we could have been warned," snapped Buffy, finally letting Cordelia on top of all the anxiety get the better of her.

"Hey! My power is on the need to know basis. I would have seen it if it were something really important like Giles' claims," Cordelia defended in a voice full of frost.

"You're slipping there, Cordy. . . Or maybe you really are just not that good," taunted Xander.

"Oh and who decided to butt in? Oh, that's right, the only one here that has absolutely No. Kind. Of. Special. Abilities. Tell me Xander Harris, how is it that you made the slayer team? No power, no brain, and the only thing going for you is your training in weapons and combat, and really…that's highly debatable," Cordelia retorded.

Before, Cordelia Chase could turn her attention back to Buffy's insult, Giles intervened and broke up what was fast deteriorating into a fight. "Focus, everyone. We have an emergency that needs _all _our immediate attention. As you've all noticed, I'm sure, one of my team members is missing from this meeting. That is because Willow . . .Willow has been abducted…"

"What!" exclaimed Xander. "When? How?" he demanded.

Giles looked at Buffy. She licked her lips nervously before answering, "Willow was taken a little over three hours ago by," she gulped and then met Xander's gaze squarely head on, "by Angel."

Xander's jaw dropped open in shock. Cordelia's and Wesley's eyes widened in disbelief, Oz frowned with a troubled face and Tara covered her mouth, but not before exclaiming, "Oh goddess!" before the stunned group.

"Willow was kidnapped by a bloodsucking fiend! **The** bloodsucking fiend!" Xander asked incredulous, breaking the silence.

"Yes, how is this even possible," wondered Wesley. "We've all read about Angelous from the history books but I don't believe anyone has had any contact with him since his ensoulment. He lives in the periphery of both worlds. If what you say is true, what would make him come out of a century-old seclusion and target Willow? It doesn't make any sense."

"What I want to know is how he took Willow," demanded Xander harshly. Fear for his best friend's welfare was coursing through his system and making him angry. "Willow is one of the strongest witches the Council has; no vampire or demon has been able to get near her before."

Giles looked over at Buffy. He himself did not know the particulars, only of what his slayer had told him after waking him up, and that was nothing more than that Willow had been taken. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she began before covering her face with both hands and saying, "Willow was taken because of me."

"W-What are you s-saying B-Buffy?" Tara softly asked when it seemed nobody was going to say anything or that Buffy was going to continue with her explanation.

The Slayer uncovered her face and took a steadying breath before continuing with the explanation. She was terrified of the reactions of the group to what she was going to have to disclose of her relationship with Angel and the events leading to her best friend's abduction. She looked over at everyone sitting on one of the research tables and then distanced herself away from Giles. She turned away from them, trying to gather her thoughts and obtain a better grip on her emotions. After a few seconds she turned around and began her tale. "Earlier tonight I had gone to Willow's room and asked for her help. . .um, perhaps I should start at the very beginning so you guys can understand. A little over a year ago I was doing an usual nightly patrol of the town. While I was walking down one of the narrow streets, a man intercepted me. I almost staked him, thinking he was a vampire but then he began talking to me and gave me information. Before I could ask him anything, he disappeared. I didn't trust him at first and I wasn't just going to believe him so I went to check out what he had told me. When his information panned out, I was surprised and intrigued. Remember all those raids we were able to stop before the vampires or demons entered the town? It was because of the information that he was giving me. Every time he turned up, it was to give me a warning or a heads up, and in a way I was both dreading and anticipating his appearances to me. He was handsome, dark and mysterious and over time I began to really like him. I eventually. . .fell in love with him. Last night, something happened and he changed. . .became violent. That's why I asked Willow to help me find out what was wrong. She was in my room when he woke up from the hits I had given him that made him unconscious and grabbed her. He ran away and took her with him. I could do nothing to stop him."

Cordelia narrowed her eyes, assessing Buffy and what she had been saying. "What aren't you telling us?" she demanded, intuitively knowing that the slayer hadn't given them the whole story.

Buffy looked at her surprised and then resigned. "The man I just told you about is Angel-"

"He's not a man, he's a soulless demon, a vampire!" Xander cut in, stating harshly.

"He has a soul!" cried out Buffy in defense. "He was cursed with one remember?"

Xander shaked his head in denial, staying silent, finding no words to utter lest he say something mean to his friend that he might later regret. He was beyond angry. He was livid and furious. Willow was out there. . . perhaps dead. . .and it was all Buffy's fault.

Tara placed a comforting hand on Xander's upper arm, and tried sending him calming thoughts. Her soft eyes turned from Xander's rigid form to Buffy. "W-What else B-Buffy?"

The Slayer's pained look turned from Xander to Tara. The Wicca's understanding and supporting gaze gave her a measure of courage to continue. "We made love last night," she whispered, looking down at the floor.

Only Tara and Oz stayed quiet while everyone else spoke immediately at once.

"Oh dear Lord!" exclaimed Giles.

"You slept with him!" screeched Cordy.

"What!" demanded Xander.

"Oh good heavens!" came from Wesley.

It was Wesley's reaction that made everyone's focus switch from Buffy to him. He had stood up and pushed his chair back so violently that it toppled over with a crash. He ripped his glasses off and raked a trembling hand over his hair. His skin had lost all color, his eyes were wide and his gaze was unfocused and lost in remembrance.

"What is it Wesley?" asked Giles concerned and growing more alarmed by the second. Everything his slayer had disclosed had shocked and troubled him. How could she been carrying on without his knowledge or anyone else's? To have held a relationship with the most infamous vampire in existence? And she what?. . .fell in _love_? What could she have been thinking, placing her life as well as everyone else on the line? For that is what she did every single time she came in contact with Angel - and good lord! - giving him free access into the residence where several teams of the Council resided for this sector of the territory, including the specialist team and the slayer team. Now, watching Wesley's reaction did not bode well at all. Wesley Wyndham-Price was the watcher of the specialist team, meaning that he was the best there was aside from him. It also meant that his knowledge of demonology, slayer combat and research were beyond of any other watcher as well as an unparallel ability in translating and interpreting non-human languages. He also had skills with magics. He was elite, just like all the other members of the team he headed. Cordelia Chase was a Seer - strong, willful, shrewd, calculating yet highly intuitive, vastly capable in fighting and always dead-on right with her visions. Tara Maclay was a Wiccan - a witch with very strong white magical abilities, vastly knowledgeable with spells and potions and with the rare talent of reading auras. Daniel "Oz" Osbourne was a Werewolf - capable of controlling his demon and thus adept at using his enhanced strength and speed without going into wolf-mode. The stoic, redhead was also the best tracker, following leads through scent.

All four made up the specialist team that were always called in for search and rescue missions.

They were perfect for finding Willow. If they couldn't find her, then nobody could.

Everyone's gaze followed Wesley as he briskly walked up the second story stairs and disappeared behind the stacks of books. A short moment later he reappeared with a thin, pale-colored leather book in his hands. He had it opened and was searching its pages. He stood before the assembled group around the table and began to explain as his eyes searched a specific page he had been looking for. "I remembered I had read up on Angelous and as a result researched the curse he was placed under. I found the accounts of the ensoulment although I could never find the spell itself. The Council's gypsies mentioned that as all curses - and really anything involving magic - work in a way as. . . how should I put it?. . . a legal contract."

Tara nodded in understanding. There was always a way out, a loophole. No spell or curse was ever indestructible. Magic was delicate; it had consequences. It also left gaps to restore balance, to someway undo what had been manipulated or coerced.

Buffy frowned, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means," explained Wesley, looking right at her, "that the curse has been broken. You broke his curse and now Angelous is free."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything was dark where she stood. At first she thought her eyes were closed, but when she blinked, and then raised her hand up to her face, she knew it was her surroundings and not her. She waited a moment unsure. Should she move? And if she didn't, what would that accomplish? There was nothing here, so she might as well walk and find something to help her bearings. Turning a full 360 degrees, she shrugged and picked a random direction. Taking a deep breath, she began to cautiously move forward in the darkness, wary of any obstacle that might be hidden in her path.

After what seemed forever, she seemed to detect a weak light in the distance. Either that or her eyes were playing tricks on her with all the strain in trying to see in the inky darkness. She walked at a faster pace and the light brightened some until she could make out a vast expanse of a barren chamber, save for what appeared to be a large cage half situated in the shadows.

She neared it cautiously.

It stood empty, the door ajar.

Willow wondered in trepidation what it had held captive and where that captive was now.

A low, rumbling growl began, echoing off the walls and Willow jumped in fright. Her whole body was instantly covered in goosebumps, the little hairs on her neck and arms standing up. She searched around, trying to locate the source of the sound, to try to back away, far away.

With wide eyes, she saw a figure slowly come out halfway out of the shadows.

Angelous stood there, with gold feral eyes, ridges, and fangs. His hair was disheveled, almost shaggy and he was wearing only a pair of leather pants. His head was slightly lowered and Willow had the distinct feeling that he was sizing her up. When he slowly detached himself from the darkness and began to circle her, her fears were confirmed. She was the prey.

She gulped. "Nice vampire, nice vampy," she tried to placate. "Why don't we have a nice little chat. Let's talk and. . .ah. . .try to work something out. Maybe I can help. Tell me your problems. I'm a good listener."

Angelous suddenly lunged at her and she screamed, barely moving away. "Or not!" she began to babble. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but if you want to I'm more than happy to help, cause I'm just that kind of person, everyone says so, well my friends say so cause that's who I talk to, but they wouldn't say that if it weren't true right? And I really --"

Angelous lunged again and Willow dodged again just in time. "Can! Okay, calm down. Just calm down. Nice vampy, good vampy. Lets not do anything hasty. . .or you know, homicidal. Don't need to be so angry, all fangy and grrr --"

Willow shrieked as Angelous, on the third try knocked her down in a full frontal assault. He arched his face back to strike and Willow closed her eyes in terror. Surely he would now rip her throat out.

When after a couple of seconds she didn't feel anything, she cautiously opened one eye to peek out. Angelous' dark head was blocking her view but she could still tell what was going on. The vampire's growls were getting louder as the more infuriated he got. He was trying to sink his fangs in her flesh but wasn't succeeding. A bubble of hysterical laughter escaped Willow's lips before she could cover her mouth with one hand. She had completely forgotten! She had no substance in this state unless she willed it. Angelous could no more touch her as he could a ghost.

Frustrated, the vampire jumped up and showed her his fangs in anger. When she didn't cower away, he roared and went over to the cage, bending and ripping and destroying what had kept him prisoner in his own body. The lock might have been gone, but the cell - the reminder - was still there. The feel of the cold, iron bars only fueled his anger.

Willow picked herself up from the floor as she warily watched the beserk vampire. A piece of metal flew her way and she reflexively ducked before remembering her non-corporeal state. Standing as witness to what Angelous was feeling - going through - was disconcerting. The moment she had performed the spell, she had known that his curse had been broken. What she hadn't expected was to see something that she had never before considered or even imagined. The revelation had shocked her and now she had information that she didn't know what to do with or if she even wanted it.

That was for some later study.

For now, looking at Angelous, being inside him, she could not only see but feel emotions so dark and intense that they chocked. The demon was raging, fury and pain pouring out of him and drenching his being into a semblance of madness.

Another piece of metal flew past her, inches from her ear. Howls interspaced with growls accompanied the frenzied movements.

After a while of just standing witness, Willow slowly neared him. He had calmed down somewhat, having left nothing untouched, smashing everything. He was crouched amid the wreckage, his body trembling from all his spent energy and emotions.

When she was only a couple of feet away and he made no move toward her, she very cautiously closed the distance. She put out a trembling hand and willed it solid on his hunched shoulder.

He made no movement, no acknowledgement.

Slowly and very lightly she rubbed small circles on his shoulder as she moved to crouch in front of him.

Willow stared at his bent head until he picked it up. Green eyes met gold. "Let me help you," she whispered. He did nothing but gaze intently at her.

Very slowly, Willow raised her other hand as she moved the one from his shoulder and skimmed her fingers through his temple, his cheeks, his neck, the side of his head. "Let go of the pain," she murmured to him. "Let go of the rage."

Angelous' demon eyes fixed on hers, the richest green that seem to have a whole life of their own. Wet pools of jade; of verdant, rustling tree leaves; of rolling hills; of mossy gurgling brooks.

He closed his eyes as Willow lightly cupped Angelous' face and then closing hers, she moved further into him and merged.

Her essence, her light, her emotions, filled him, surrounded him, expelling and pushing away all the darkness, the anger and pain. She surrounded him in warmth and peace, in compassion. She moved into every space and filled him up completely until there was nothing left but her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch. 4 Resonance

**AN: **I don't normally asks for reviews, but I'm not quite sure about this chapter. Willow's "meeting" with Angelous didn't quite write out as I would have imagined. Tell me what you think.


	4. Resonance

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **Giles calls an emergency meeting to plan Willow's rescue. In a desperate attempt to save her own life, Willow "merges" with Angelous.

**Ch. 4 Resonance**

"I-I'm truly s-sorry," Tara said, expressing regret.

"What do you mean?" demanded Xander.

"Are you sure," asked Wesley of the Wicca. She slowly nodded, then covered her face with her long, dark, blonde hair when she spied Buffy silently crying.

Giles just stared down at the elements used for the locator spell. The map of the Council territory and the uncharted Shadowlands seemed to mock him. A piece of Willow's clothing - a blouse - screamed of their failure and their urgency. He wanted nothing more than to rip apart the black, silk shirt of the damned vampire that had been placed next to Willow's.

Buffy dried her tears and took a steadying breath. "That can't be. You have to do it again. And again and again until you find them."

Tara started to speak but Giles cut in, agreeing with his slayer. "Quite right. Please try again, Tara. Maybe this time you will be able to get a fix on their position."

"Perhaps," Wesley suggested, "if Mr. Giles and I lent a hand and pooled our powers with yours, Tara, we might strengthen the locator spell." The younger watcher wasn't sure if such an endeavor would work any more efficiently than the Wicca's attempt, but he was willing to try, if only for the simple fact that Giles, Xander and Buffy were frantic. He couldn't really blame them. What a nightmare.

After Tara's agreement, both Watchers joined her on the floor and linked hands with her. Everyone looked on as a light slowly began to coalesce over the map and trace a path from the mansion to an indefinite point into the Shadowlands. The trail suddenly ended and instead of pinpointing a location, the light sort of wavered and dispersed.

Giles, Wesley and Tara could do nothing but stare down at the map as if by the act, the magic might bend to their will and show them more. . .do more. . .tell them more.

"What the hell was that?" asked Buffy, breaking the spellcasters' surprise and confusion.

"Umm. . .it seems that Willow and Angelous' presence is being cloaked," replied Wesley.

"Cloaked?" asked Xander, unsure what that really meant concerning his friend's welfare.

"But, Willow's okay? They're out there somewhere, but okay?" asked Buffy, needing to believe that her friend was okay.

"I don't know, B-Buffy," said Tara. "The spell is not working as it should. It tracked their path up to a certain point into the Shadowlands, but after that. . . It kinda just dissolved. I-It could mean W-Willow's. . .g-gone -although unlikely since the spell includes A-Angelous as well - or there's a another spell already in place hiding where they are."

"Okay. Okay. We just got to find them," resolved Buffy, quickly going into Slayer mode. "We have until daybreak to prepare, so everyone get ready and arm up. We'll go in during daylight and grab as much advantage as we can."

"Buffy, I don't know how much advantage we will have. Remember that demon territory is mostly covered in dark clouds. Hence the name," Giles reminded Buffy.

"Hello, is everyone insane?" wondered Cordelia. "Have you _completely_ forgotten that the trail leads _into_ the Shadowlands? Going so deep into their territory is suicide!"

"We have to save Willow," retorted Buffy, starting to get annoyed with Cordelia all over again.

"I never thought I'd say this but Cordy is right," spoke up Xander. "Look, hear me out, Buffy. I love Willow. I've known her the longest, we've grown up together, been friend forever. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. But going inside demon territory without a solid plan _is_ suicide. Nobody has ever gone deep into their territory, just like they don't go into ours. All the action is on the borders. If we're going to do this, we need to prepare and make contingency plans. We are no good to her if we are dead." Xander went up to Buffy and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I want her out, back with us safe and sound, as much as you."

Buffy seemed to measure his words and then nodded in agreement. "Okay, everybody, let's plan. Anything and everything. We don't have any time to waste. We'll still go, but prepared. Ideas?"

Tara shyly raised her hand. "We can follow the trail up to the point where it ends, but then what?"

Giles bit a leg of his glasses. "You're right, Tara. We can not waste time being lost while trying to locate Willow while we are inside the Shadowlands. Every moment will be quite perilous."

Oz, who had been silent up to that point, finally spoke up, "I don't think that will be much of a problem. I can track them with their pieces of clothing. Either way, I know Willow's scent quite well."

Xander looked at Oz with raised eyebrows.

Giles cleared his throat. "Yes, well. . . Very good."

Wesley picked up the pieces of clothing that were used for the spell and gave them to Oz. "We must hurry."

"Thank you, Wesley," Buffy told him earnestly.

The specialist's watcher gave Buffy a level stare. "You don't quite understand the danger we are all in now. Yes, we must rescue Willow, but she isn't our main priority."

"How can you say that?" Buffy exclaimed wounded.

"Because you don't understand what you have done!" said Wesley incensed. "Angelous is _free_. Have you **any** idea what that means at all? Why he was so feared? Why the Council called him the Scourge?"

"He was a feared vampire general -" began Buffy with a puzzled look on her face. He used to be really dangerous. Who the hell cared what he _used_ to be?

"He led a vampire army!" exclaimed Wesley. "He was cunning, ruthless and vicious. He killed thousands upon thousands of humans before he was contained with a curse. Before that he was unstoppable. Unstoppable! Under his command, his demon army went inside Council Territory. Not just borders, but **inland**!"

Buffy was shaking her head, not really wanting to believe, wanting to live in denial.

"Hundreds of Slayers died trying to stop him! As soon as one died and the next was called, she was killed. They were no match for such a large and well-trained supernatural army. Not until Angelous was cursed, was the Council's troops able to push back the vampires."

Xander was wide-eyed. He raised up his hand and said, "I vote for staking as soon as possible scary vampire-guy."

"Yeah, I second that," agreed Cordy vehemently.

"What? No!" Buffy glared at Xander and Cordelia. "There will be no staking."

"Buffy…" began Giles, trying to make her see reason.

"No. No, Giles, there will be no staking. You never met Angel, but he was good and he helped out with priceless information. I can't just ignore all I've been through with him. And I . . ." Buffy whispered the last "I love him."

"Screw that!" retorted Cordy. "Oh, wait - you did. That's why we're in this mess!"

The Slayer moved toward Cordelia in anger, wanting to hit her. The Seer swiftly rose from her chair for the confrontation. It was Oz's strong grip on Buffy's arm that stopped her from starting a physical fight.

"This isn't helping. We have to remember Willow," stated Oz in a calm and reasonable voice.

After a short, tensed silence, Buffy gave a curt nod in acknowledgement to Oz.

Turning to the group, Oz directed his concern to the Watchers and the Witch. "I am positive I can track Willow but what are we going to do about Angelous if we come across him - which I'm more than sure we will?"

"We stake his sorry ass," said Xander.

"No!" came from Buffy.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Giles informed the group. He was rubbing his forehead with his fingertips, trying to ease a headache that had formed since the moment the whole fiasco had started. "You're forgetting what Wesley mentioned . . . The part where Angelous used to be unstoppable?"

"M-maybe if I devised a containment spell," offered Tara.

Wesley sighed. "If only it were that simple. The problem is that magic doesn't have much impact on him. Nobody knows why. Only the strongest of magics effect him. . . and that will only slow him down some."

Tara did not understand. "But the curse?"

"We don't know why that worked."

"Right. Well then we'll re-curse him," offered Buffy. "Problem solved."

"Hardly," Wesley scoffed. "The curse was lost."

"What about the descendants of the remaining Gypsy clan?" wondered Tara.

Wesley shook his head and sat down heavily on one of the chairs. "No. If they had found the curse, they would have archived it within the Council's central library. Something so important would not be left to chance, especially if it meant having to stop a reemerged Angelous."

"I don't care," stated Buffy coldly.

"Buffy," Giles tried to address his slayer again.

"No, Giles. We will do everything in our power to recurse Angel . . . But if for some reason it comes between him and us, and we still haven't found a solution. . . I will do my duty. For now, all our efforts are in getting Willow back alive." Buffy then began to snap orders. "Giles, try to contact the Gypsy clan and obtain as much information as you can. Perhaps, they have found the curse or they know of a different way to ensoul Angel. Wesley, gather all information concerning Angelous. Look for anything that might help us. Xander, you are in charge of arming us. Get all the weapons that we might need. Oz, look over all maps of the Shadowlands that might help you in tracking. Tara, prepare your magic arsenal: potions, spells, whatever that might give us an advantage. Talk to the coven if necessary. We're going to have to go in cloaked - the full works: sight, sound and smell. Xander's right. We make no mistakes. This is a get in and get out operation. Okay, people get to it."

"And me?" asked Cordelia.

Buffy turned to look at her and then said plainly, "Start praying for a vision."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ow. Owowowowow. If she thought she was bad off before, now it was just a total and complete nightmare. Her whole body hurt. Her _whole _body. How in the world could even her _hair_ hurt?

Well, what could she expect for doing such a reckless thing, Okay, that's right. . . She was desperate! Life and death situation here, missy!

Boy was she paying for it now. At least, she was still alive. Alive is good - very, very good.

She took a moment to center herself and then opened her eyes. Yikes! Big vampire on top of her. Probably one of the reasons that she hurt so much; the crushing weight alone could have done her in. Trying to take in breath by even by small, amounts (it would do no good if she fainted again because of lack of oxygen this time) she tried to push an object that frankly, seemed to be unmovable. Gritting her teeth and trying again, she discovered that the stupid vampire was latched on to her neck. Owww!

Okay, think, Willow, think! She couldn't move him with her own puny strength. She couldn't move him with magic; she was completely drained. She couldn't call for help. Schyeah, right. What to do, what to do?

Turning her face, she pressed against Angelous' temple and top of his head. Yeah, that little movement hurt more than just a little. His fangs just sank deeper into her neck. She wanted to scream to let out some of the pain and frustration but she wasn't _that _stupid. Okay, she did a stupendously colossal idiotic thing by merging with a demon, but hello! What was she gonna do? Just lie there and die? So, yeah, she didn't actually know what would have happened before she merged but she was really, really hoping that as a last ditch and desperate attempt, it would work and somehow stop Angelous from killing her. Well, it worked, sort of. She had put him in a deep (hopefully) sleep after siphoning off as much anger and rage as possible. At the very least, he would wake up with a more accommodating disposition (she hoped). Going in to his head had been more than a little risky. She had taken the chance that his darkness could have overwhelmed her and taken over, consuming her whole. The magics she handled - unlike most of her sister witches - were both white and dark element of nature. Her dominance of such powerful forces was what made her possibly the strongest witch at the moment, but also the most in danger. She had to be always in complete control of herself. Like Buffy, whose body was a weapon in strength and speed, so was she but in magic. That is why when she had gone into Angelous, she had taken great care in not delving into any of his memories. She could just imagine the nightmares she would have for the rest of her life with just a glimpse. She also hadn't delved into his feelings, just sort of sensed them and then just redirected them away, without letting them touch her.

Yeah, overall, it had been a veritable landmine.

All of that, and now what? She bit her lip and delicately "suggested" that he retract his fangs. When the still unconscious vampire did as she had mentally pushed, she allowed herself a moment to grin.

Okay, on to the next hurdle: getting free from under Angelous. Pushing was out of the question so after a short consideration, she tried wriggling to the side. By slow increments, which seemed to take forever to Willow, she slid free from him. First she freed her chest, then her arms, her pelvis and finally, with a jank, she freed her legs.

Yay.

She gingerly slid off the bed and stood. For a moment her knees threatened to give out and the room was doing a nice spinning impersonation. Damn vampire probably took a little too much blood and add to that her magic drain, she was not in a very good state.

The opened door beckoned. Freedom was within her grasp.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

She just needed to steer clear of all vampires. She had a feeling that it would be easier said than done. Too bad she was so weak that she couldn't teleport out of the place.

Willow move toward the open doorway and hesitantly peeked out. Nobody in sight. The dark corridor seemed empty. Lit torches illuminated the stone hall and dark shadows danced in their wake.

She shivered.

Taking a dep breath for courage, she stepped out and headed left. She didn't know where she was going and frankly, she knew it was another of those incredibly stupid decisions that she could make, but what choice did she have? Stay in the room and possibly get eaten by Angelous or try to escape and possibly get eaten by another vampire?

Footsteps suddenly echoed off the stone walls.

There was nowhere to go! She sprinted past several thick, wooden doors that could more than likely contain certain death by vampire. She was panicking. What the hell was she going to do. Her short gasps of breath, seemed to thunder in her ear and her heart was pounding furiously. With all the noise her body was making, she couldn't discern th footsteps. But she could feel them, with every speeding of her pulse, of her gasps, of her own running footsteps.

Suddenly, at the very end of the hall, an open archway appeared and she almost cried out in relief. That could very well lead to her escape. Without much thought, she climbed the spiral stairwell and burst onto the paraphet of the castle.

Willow covered her open mouth with her hand, strangling the frustrated sobs that welled in her chest. The horizon beckoned with its promise of freedom. In the distance, over much of the treetops, she could make out Council territory. Large tears fell from her face as her small hope diminished. She was inside the Shadowlands. Granted, she was just passing the border, but she was still in demon territory inside a castle that was more than likely the home of the Aurelian Order.

She was going to die. No! Get a grip, Willow told herself.

Closing her eyes, she willed all her energies into one point. With the last of her power, she sent out a distress signal - only to have it rebound off something and come crashing back.

No. NoNoNoNo…

"Well, Well, Well, Red," she heard a voice from behind her say , cutting into her shock and despair, "Does Angelous know that you've gone walkies?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch. 5 The Lair of Monsters


	5. The Lair of Monsters

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **The Slayer team and the Specialists team try to locate Willow's whereabouts and begin preparations for a search and rescue mission. Willow escapes Angelous while he is conked out and sees for herself where she really is.

**Ch. 5 The Lair of Monsters**

She closed her eyes tightly, hoping for everything to just go away. Why couldn't it just be all a dream? Why couldn't she be secure in the knowledge that whatever happened, it wouldn't matter because she would eventually wake up and all the fear and the danger would just fade away like so much smoke? It was ridiculous, is what it was. She was used to danger- to a certain degree- every time she went out to patrol with the Slayer, every time she helped avert an apocalypse, every time she handled new spells or dark magic but this was not part of what could be expected. Abducted by the vampire general, bitten - twice! -, merged with the mind of a demon and now held inside a castle amid the Shadowlands surrounded by bloodsucking demons!

A cold hand grabbed her neck, startling her with the suddenness and the temperature difference.

She shrieked in terror but cut it short when the vampire holding her did nothing more than to turn her toward him without adding any extra pressure. She frowned before she could stop herself and wondered why he hadn't crushed her windpipe or broken her neck. He could easily have done that in less of the time it would have taken for her to blink.

"Well, Red?" the shockingly white haired vampire asked. She could only stare at him, immobilized by his grip and the view in front of her. She had seen him before when Angelous had thrust the crazy vampiress that had thralled her and almost bitten her to him. She hadn't seen more than a glimpse of his retreating form before Angelous had decided that she would make a nice chewtoy. Now, looking up at him, up close, she could only take him in and marvel how such a creature that by definition was evil, was dark and just majorly bad, could look - well, for lack of a better word, like an angel? He possessed a beauty that was indescribable, with features that could not be considered pretty if separate but as whole combined something quite breathtaking. His strikingly blonde hair shone in the weak light of the coming day like a halo, framing a face with sharp cheekbones. His dark eyebrows and scar, along with his supernaturally smooth white skin gave him an edge of darkness. But it was his disheveled curls, full sensual lips and unguarded eyes of the clearest blue that deceived with the impression of something more than an essentially dead, evil creature. He was an incongruent mixture of sexuality and innocence in a deadly package.

"Cat got your tongue, pet?"

"W-What?" Really, what more could she say? Yeah right, like she was going to admit to trying to escape. Or confess to what she had been thinking about him.

He sighed. "What are you doing out here?" he asked again and then frowned, just thinking something. "Where's Angelous?"

When it looked like she wasn't going to say anything, he began to reel her in and that quickly broke through her resolve. "Sleeping!" she squeaked.

He chuckled and cocked his head to the side, studying her. "I doubt that," he informed her while caressing her cheek with the thumb of the hand that had been lightly grasping her neck.

"Huh?"

He switched holds and grasped her upper right arm. "Come on, Red. It's back to gramps you go."

"Gramps?" She wondered. She pictured a really old vampire, with glasses, long white hair and human-type age wrinkles. She almost giggled at the mental picture. On the other hand, she had ever come across an old looking vampire. They were all young-looking. Huh? Wonder why that was? She'd be sure to ask Giles if she ever saw him again.

"Angelous, pet," he clarified.

That snapped her out of her musings real quick. "No, please no," she pleaded with him. "Please. Please let me go, please."

He just shook his head at her and continued to drag her down the stairs. When they neared the door to the chamber where the vampire general lay sleeping, she grew more desperate. Without thinking, Willow grabbed the blond vampire's dark long-sleeve button down shirt in both fists and held on. "Please, please let me go. If- If you let me go, I will forever be grateful. I'll- I'll owe you. A favor, I'll. . .I'll owe you one favor. Please!"

He looked down at her and for a breathless moment, it seemed he was considering it. Something behind his eyes said that maybe. . .maybe would have accepted. But the struggle quickly vanished as it had appeared in his gaze and he just closed his eyes, shook his head and dragged her the last remaining steps toward Angelous' room.

"T-two favors, okay. I'm a powerful witch. . . If you let me go, I'll grant you two favors," Willow continued pleading desperately in a low voice for his ears only, when he pulled her inside.

He turned to her with a question in his eyes after taking in Angelous' form sprawled on the bed, unmoving. He frowned and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Willow tried really, really hard to look innocent.

Must not have been very convincing since he just dragged her to the nightstand and opened one of its drawers. He took out a copper-colored, slender chain that had a cuff at each end. With wide, panicked eyes, Willow watched before she could do anything more as the blonde vampire snapped one cuff close on her left wrist and then snapped the other end on a ring set in the floor next to the bed.

That quickly done, he turned to leave. Willow just silently cried as she watched him exit the room and close the door, leaving her alone and shaking in a room with one of the most feared vampires in Council history.

Willow wedged herself between the wall and the bed and sat down, drawing her legs up in front of her and wrapping her arms around them for the illusion of comfort and support. After a while, she looked around the room - well, the side where she was currently sitting in. There really wasn't much at all; the gray stone walls were bare except for randomly embedded rings (and judging by how she was anchored, she steered away from the thought of their purpose) and a large fireplace lay cold and empty. There wasn't anything that could aid her escape, but on the other hand, there didn't seem to be anything to aid in torture. Her eyes strayed back to the rings.

She pressed the palm of her hands against her eyes and tried to calm herself. In her attempt, Willow finally paid notice to what was keeping her prisoner. The cuff and chain were decidedly odd. To begin with, she had never seen restraints to be that color. She traced the metal of the cuff with the finger of her other hand. As manacles went, it was dainty, no wider than an inch or two, and the chain was fine with small links of an inch. It made no sense. Didn't look very substantial and she was sure than a strong human could probably break it. She gave it an experimental tug. Nothing happened of course but something about it was bothering her. What was it? What was she missing?

All of a sudden, a face appeared from the side of the bed and Willow shrieked in surprised fear. Brown eyes contemplated her huddled form before an arm lashed out and hauled her onto the bed beside him. Her fearful wide eyes couldn't look away from his.

He broke the gaze to look down at her chained wrist. "There's no use trying to escape, that chain is unbreakable," he told her.

She took the chance of looking down at the chain. She jumped when Angelous took her hand in his and traced the cuff with his other. "No use in trying to use magic, little witch, for this was made by the strongest magics itself and they only open with one single key."

Against her better judgment, Willow just had to ask. "Wh-What key?"

His eyes swept back up to her and he grinned wickedly. "Me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was watching her amid the flowers of the garden. In the indirect, cloud covered light of morning she was a vision of beauty. Her long, pale fingers of one hand touched the special flowers that grew in the Shadowland's with something akin to reverence. Like her, they were deceptive - innocently beautiful looking yet deadly. The dark red almost black petals exuded an intoxicating fragrance like no other, but its white stem and thorns held one of the deadliest poisons imaginable. Even a touch could mean death to a living thing.

"So lovely, so dark and rich. and sinful. . .like blood. Lovely vicious little things, they whisper 'touch me, touch me. . .touch me'. She lightly swayed to some unknown melody as she continued passing her fingers over the petals of the flowers. She stilled and cocked her head toward them as if listening to something and then she slowly smiled and took a deep breath. "Mmm, wicked pets."

Spike was used to Drusilla's idiosyncrasies. To many, she appeared mad, but he knew better. It was true that his ripe, wicked plum was most of the time not all there, but that didn't lessen her intelligence. She always knew things before they happened and her outward appearance of frailty only lulled others into a false sense of security. . .usually before they got their throat slashed by one of her razor sharp nails.

"Did you taste her?" she asked without turning to him.

He knew what she meant but decided to ask anyway. "Who, luv?"

"The naughty fire. . .the little witch." Drusilla turned toward him. "Oh, the power. Her blood smelled so divine. I could almost taste it." She licked her lips and then pouted, "But Daddy didn't let me. Bad Daddy, doesn't want to share." She came toward him and wrapped her pale, slender arms around his waist. "Mrs. Edith tells me things. I wish she wouldn't say such things to me. Awful, awful. She'll have no tea and cakes."

"What does she tell you, Dru?" Spike asked her, knowing full well that it must be something important.

"No! No, I shan't say. Such terrible lies mustn't be spoken." She drew back from him and placed her index finger against his lips, "Shh."

Spike nipped it playfully and she snapped her teeth in return before madly giggling.

"C'mon, luv. It's time for you to go to bed. Dream of fairies and all that."

"And you, my sweet William, my Spike? Shall you sleep, shall you dream of Sunshine?"

"Please, Dru," he said tiredly. It was one discussion he did not want to have again.

Drusilla grazed the back of her hand over his cheek. "Morpheus calls you but you do not go. How long until you begin to dream awake? How long my Spike? You know you cannot hide for long."

Spike closed his eyes for a moment in an acknowledgement of defeat. "I know, Dru, but what can I do? These bloody dreams are driving me insane. I don't even know who she is, but she haunts me."

Dru watched him run his hands through his hair and grab a fistful at each side of his head, yanking it in exasperation. She tipped her head back and looked at the cloudy sky. "The stars. . . Oh, how they shine and shine and giggle. They're coming."

What?" Drusilla's assertion distracted Spike from his frustrations.

"Will you always love your princess best?" asked Drusilla.

"Always," Spike affirmed.

Drusilla smiled sadly. "She dances around you, laughing." She closed her eyes. "Oh, how she burns."

"Luv?"

She opened her eyes again and fixed him with a steady gaze. "They're coming. I can hear their pitter-patter. Sneaky. They think they can vanish. . .but they can't hide from me."

"Who, luv?"

"The little witch's friends." Dru's powerful gaze bore into him. "And soon, my Spike, you'll have your rest. . .for she is coming with them."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was dressing for battle and hating herself and the others for having to do so. She knew this mission was nothing short of suicide but protocol dictated that she stand by her team's side. That and she wasn't going to see her friends' lives in danger and do nothing.

Looking down at herself, she couldn't help make a face of distaste. Black was so blah. Long black sleeve shirt, black breeches, tall black boots and a black woolen cloak. Ugh. And she knew she wasn't over. Alexander Harris would probably want to saddle everyone with the special black chain mail to protect from vampire bites. There was no way she was wearing the shirt, much less the cowl. Her hair would just get ruined. She didn't much see the point of it all. Who were they going to kid? Yeah, they were going in cloaked, but what if Tara's spell failed at some point? Everyone knew that vampire sight was ten times better than a human's. It's not like wearing black would automatically make them disappear in the background. And the mail? Yeah, right. . .maybe slow them down for a second before ripping it off - along with the head.

She sighed. It really didn't pay to work for the Council. She could be living the semi-oblivious life inland, going about her life knowing that others that weren't her were putting their lives on the line to keep the borders protected from invading demons. Too bad, she couldn't live that life. Sure, she wasn't all _Chosen_ like a Slayer that had no choice but to fight demons because it was her destiny, but she _was_ given special abilities. Being a Seer meant that she was at the service of the Council's warriors, trying to avert disasters, giving warnings and alerting them of future events. Sure hurt like a bitch though. Those visions were damn painful and more times than not, she sustained bad bumps and bruises from the unexpectedness of the vision. Falling to the floor was painful but falling to the floor while convulsing was agonizing. She wasn't as bad off as she was when she first began to have the visions. With a lot of practice with the Seers, she had been able to control the effects to a more manageable degree. Just wished she didn't have to deal with that remaining degree.

Oh well.

Just one more piece to put on and she would be ready. The belt was lying on her bed. Black leather as the required color but different in design from others since each one wore one that was specific for their station. For instance, Tara's belt held many pouches for her potions and ingredients for spells. Hers held in the back portion several special sheaths that allowed stakes to be held upside down for easier access. On her right was a holster for a gun and running on her left side was a sheath that held her sword. Looking at the sword in question, that was suspended on the wall in a place of honor, it sang to her. It was The Seer's Sword, a weapon that no one but a Seer could wield, passed down from active Seer to active Seer. Not even the slayer held such a weapon. Purified and blessed numerous times over the centuries, it held a power that could cut down any demon and damage irreparably whatever it sliced thorough. Nobody could tell just by looking at the simple, unadorned, metal sword that it possessed such power. A lesson in the unassuming.

She was buckling her belt on when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said, looking up after she secured her belt. Oz had walked in and stood just inside the door. He had changed into his own black attire: loose, drawstring, black pants and an easily discardable black vest in case he had to go into wolf-mode.

Cordy was surprised at his presence. "Something I can do for you, Oz?" she asked.

"Actually, I came to look for you to ask you that very same thing," he told her.

"Gee, that's sweet, but as you can see, I'm almost ready for this lunacy."

Oz' impassive usual facial expression didn't change. "You think this won't work?"

Cordy gave him a level stare and asked seriously, "When was the last time anyone has breached the Shadowlands without taking along an army?"

"We're not going in to fight. We're going in to retrieve Willow."

"Yes! That is exactly the point," Cordy exclaimed. "Retrieval is always difficult, but this is a search and rescue and we don't even know where we will end up going. For all we know, a trap is already being set up! Going into demon territory is crazy with just our numbers, but add to that who took her and I don't see how anybody can think that any of our efforts will work."

Oz looked sideways when he spoke. "You think it's not worth it? You think she is already dead?"

Cordy shook her head and sighed. All of a sudden she was unbearably tired. "I don't know, Oz." She walked up to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If Willow can be saved, we'll save her." She gave him a weak smile. "Isn't that what we do?"

Oz allowed one of his rare small smiles to show on his face. "Yeah, that's what we do." He knew that Cordy's objections were valid and he - like everyone else - expected her to complain loud and clear about the situation, but she never backed away from what was right. She was that kind of girl: strong and courageous. They could say a lot of things about her but one thing was for sure, Cordy was fiercely loyal.

When Cordy placed her other hand on his other shoulder and stood there immobile, looking into him, he became curious. "Cordy?"

She closed her eyes tightly for a moment and then released him. She took a few steps away from him and then turned back to face him. "I know you have feeling for Willow. I know there was something between you two. I just thought that maybe I could connect with that and maybe get a vision of her. Something that might help us in getting to her."

"And you didn't," he stated a blatant fact.

Cordelia shook her head in the negative.

"We'll find her," Oz then said with conviction. "That's why we must move quickly. The smaller in number we are, the more chance we have in going in undetected. I'll find her. I'll track her down and we'll get her out."

Cordy was amazed at her teammate's faith "I hope you're right," she softly whispered. God helped them all if they went in for nothing. She really hoped for everyone's sake that there was enough Willow to be rescued.

She turned and strode over to the mantle we're her sword lay suspended over and grasped it to take it down. She was unprepared for the impact and the suddenness of the visions. She gritted her teeth as her eyes closed tight and her body began to convulse with powerful, vivid images. The last thing she felt before she lost consciousness to the agony of the visions were strong, wiry arms catching her before she hit the floor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch 6 Those that Speak to Us


	6. Those That Speak to Us

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **Spike takes Willow back to Angelous. Dru tells Spike that they will have visitors soon. Cordy gets a vision.

**Ch 6 Those That Speak to Us**

She couldn't stop the trembling of her body. The way Angelous stared at her was unnerving. He had at first just looked into her eyes when he spoke to her and informed her she couldn't break free of the chain but now he had a look of contemplation that bordered on sinful.

It was majorly freaking her out.

He looked down at her shackled wrist and chuckled. "Did you try to be a bad girl?" he asked her silkily. His large hands began to skim her petite frame as his eyes moved down, taking her in.

To him, she was a vision of rumpled innocence. Her lithe form was splayed on his bed, trembling in fear. Her wrinkled pajamas and disarrayed hair only increased the impression of sexual abandon. His face dipped to her belly and slowly traveled upward until he reached her neck and inhaled deeply. In a word, she was delectable. The bite wounds had closed but blood had dried on her flesh.

Willow gasped as Angelous brought his face close to her sensitive flesh and gave a slow lick on the bite mark on her left - the bite of the first time he bit her and held her as hostage. Her shivering increased with the onslaught of emotions; there was fear, and pain but there was also confusion and. . .pleasure.

Angelous picked up his head to take in her reaction. Her large green eyes held turmoil but they also couldn't mask the spark of unfocused desire. He slowly moved his head down to the other side of her neck where the most damage had been done by his fangs and slowly, carefully licked the blood clean. Her blood was unlike anything he could remember. There was so much power but underneath that. . .there was a connection, a familiarity.

Willow could only take small gasps of breath as Angelous' tongue slid across her tender flesh. What was he doing to her? The skin were he had bitten acted out as nerve endings every time the rasp of his tongue passed over it. There was the sting of pain, the pain of any wound, but there was also so much pleasure being generated. Agonizing pleasure that radiated from his bites every time he passed over them and centered themselves in her womb. Something was building, something she didn't quite understand, and the feelings were just getting more and more intense. She grabbed fistfuls of the bedding under her, trying to anchor herself, trying to somehow stop or control the sensations. She didn't think she could take much more, her body was tightening, tensing, condensing from every nerve ending. Her breathing came in fast shallow gasps and her body felt both hot and cold. She writhed trying to get release from the torment. He continued until she thought she would die until without warning, she felt the sting of his fangs slicing into her flesh once again. Her eyes opened wide in shock and she screamed as she shattered. The power of her release caused her to arch up into the hard, cool chest of the vampire. Power that she thought had been drained out of her for the moment, charged in the atmosphere creating countless miniature arcs of lightning.

Angelous picked up his head after taking a small sip of the little witch's blood and closing the wound with his tongue. He looked around his bedchamber in astonishment as he felt the charge in the air. If he had been any other, he would have been already dust. He looked down at her, her skin flushed and glistening with a fine film of sweat. He chuckled in amusement as he heard her accelerated heartbeat even out into a rhythm of rest.

She had fainted from the pleasure his vampire kiss had generated.

Suddenly, a heavy knock sounded at the door and he growled in irritation at being interrupted. "What?" he barked out.

"Angelous, I need to speak with you," came the muffled voice of Spike.

He tried dismissing him with a curt, "Later," but Spike was persistent. When it looked like he might open the door, Angelous had no choice but to see what he wanted and commanded him to wait for him outside. The energy the redheaded witch had created had not dissipated and was still crackling around the room. Anyone who entered would seriously be harmed or even killed.

Hmm, he needed to think on how to proceed with the girl.

He walked out of the chamber, paying no mind to the lethal energy as he trespassed it without harm.

His childe was waiting for him, pacing.

"Well?" he asked, his expression set in a cold mask.

Spike stopped pacing and turned to him immediately. "We might have a problem."

"What kind of a problem?"

"Uninvited guests - the kind that want the redhead back."

Angelous tensed his muscles and narrowed his eyes at the prospect. "How do you know this?"

"Dru," was Spike's simple response.

When Angelous said nothing, Spike stared at him expectantly and asked, "What should we do?"

"How likely do you think Dru is right?"

Spike snorted. "Very." He cocked his head and continued, "You should know better than anyone. You've had dealings with them. How important is the witch?"

Angelous gnashed his teeth at the thought of 'them.' The damn humans - especially, the Slayer- would come for the girl. Of course, especially since - as he now remembered pieces of conversations that his soulful self had had with the fucking Slayer- the redhead was the Slayer's best friend.

"Are the perimeters still secure?" Angelous asked Spike.

"Of course, but Dru mentioned something about them vanishing so they would have at least one strong witch along to their little jaunt. They can't find the castle by magic, much less by normal human means but who knows what else they might be packing."

Angelous contemplated Spike's words.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ugh, I so need to change careers," joked Cordy with a pained groan as she regained consciousness.

"How are you feeling," asked Oz with as much concern in his voice as his personality allowed.

The Seer groaned again and drew a shaky hand to her throbbing head. "Like I've died twice over and was stomped on by Xerchknovik demons for good measure."

"Ouch."

"Yeah," she said dryly. Those suckers were _huge_.

Cordy noticed that she was cradled in Oz's arms, her head resting on his shoulder. "Thank you," she told him.

"For what?" he asked, looking down at her upturned face.

"For not letting me bang my head against the hard floor."

"You're very much welcome," he answered with one of his small smiles.

For a moment Cordy just got lost in Oz's face. She didn't want to feel anything, think about anything, do anything. She only wanted to rest.

And then the images of her vision intruded. "Oh shit!"

Oz helped her right herself up. "What?"

She leaned heavily into him, thankful that he held her secure by the waist. "We've got problems. Boy, do we got problems."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A wicked smile appeared on Angelous' face as a plan began to form. He swung an arm around the smaller vampire's shoulder in a jovial gesture and said, "Will, my boy, let's prepare for our visitors, shall we?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The doors opened to the armory with a loud bang. Xander and Buffy turned their head in time to witness a Cordelia being supported by Oz ordering them to reconvene at the library immediately.

"What do you think that was all about?" Buffy turned to Xander after the Seer's and werewolf's immediate departure.

He shrugged and put the distinctive silver-handled stakes down on the table that already held various weapons ranging from crossbows to special adaptable guns. "Don't know, but if I were a betting man, I'd say you got your wish - "

Buffy frowned in confusion.

"And Cordy got a vision."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oz had just helped Cordy sit down at the large study table of the library where Wesley had amassed a large collection of books, journals and rolled up documents. The young watcher was still very much engaged in searching for all relevant information concerning Angelous that might in any way be helpful in their mission. He was currently sitting down with an array of open books around him and scribbling down notes on a pad.

Buffy and Xander entered shortly thereafter. Xander had already changed into his combat clothing of black like Cordy and Oz. Buffy, not so much. Their bickering could be heard even before they entered through the large wooden double doors.

"I don't see the prob, Xander."

"You don't see the problem?" he repeated incredulous. "Please, you don't see the problem? You're a walking sign complete with loud, honking noises and bright, flashy lights."

Buffy scoffed. "You exaggerate. I've always dressed like this and there's never been a problem."

"Yeah, for patrol," Xander pointed out. "Probably easier for you to get the baddies to come to you than for you to go to them."

"Are you insinuating I'm lazy?"

"No, but now that you mention it, I wouldn't put it past you."

Buffy gaped. She was quickly getting irritated with her friend.

"You will change before we leave," Xander ordered her.

"I will not! Who died and made you boss?" Buffy said incensed.

"Actually, yeah, in this case I have precedence over you. As your elder - "

"By a measly four years!"

" - who has had more time fighting experience, you have to respect my suggestions."

"Orders, more like."

"You know what?" said Xander exasperated. "You're absolutely right - "

"Thank you."

"- in this case, the Specialists team take precedence."

Buffy was incredulous. "What?"

Cordy smiled at Buffy from across the table. "Yeah," she drawled out, "that's right. You do what we tell you."

"If you think…" Buffy began to say when Tara suddenly appeared in front of them and startled them into silence.

With a sheepish look, she apologized, "Sorry. Had to teleport out of the Coven since that's where I was and. . . you know, it's located in the northern tip of the territory. . . And that's pretty far away…"

Wesley looked up from his notes unfazed and calmly asked, "Did you speak to the Coven then?"

Tara moved to a nearby chair and sat down. "Yes. I spoke with them and explained the situation. They will help me prepare a magical arsenal large and powerful enough for our numbers and destination."

Wesley nodded. "As you know, magic is unpredictable in the Shadowlands, so whatever you will be using has to be very direct and controlled."

"Oh, d-don't worry Wesley. All that has been taken into consideration," Tara began to say to try to appease him but then paused, knowing that it would be best to explain everything now to prepare them since almost everyone was gathered. "The Coven will be giving me a boost for the complete cloaking spell. Almost all my energies will be solely focused on that since it is quite draining and especially difficult considering our numbers and the place we will venture in. I don't know how long I will be able to hold it so it is really important that we go in and come back out as quickly as possible." Tara turned to speak directly to Wesley. "I'm going to need you and Mr. Giles to be prepared as backups if anything happens. You will have to handle all the rest of the magics if we go under attack."

Buffy didn't understand. "Tara?"

"Magic is tricky," Tara began to explain. "In any normal circumstance it takes a lot of power and concentration to control since magic is a part of nature itself. What we do is try to coax it to our will all the while knowing that it can go in different directions. We have to prepare and cut off from any deviations it might possibly take. Like a game of chess, we have to plan for all possible moves and then move to counteract it. Using magic is a delicate balance, that's why there aren't many proficient at it. There has to be a great deal of respect for the elements that are being used and a great deal of care. The Shadowlands contain a great amount of energy but most of it is disruptive. Almost all, if not all, my concentration will be to get us in undetected. My task is made that much more difficult than the destination by having to be aware of each and every one of you at all times to be able to cloak you."

Xander gave a low whistle. "Wow, that's what I call multitasking."

Cordelia closed her eyes in trepidation. Tara would be unavailable for any combat, probably not even defensive. And if her vision was at all true - which she knew it _always_ was - they were going to need all the help they could get

Oz noticed Cordelia's worry. He had sat beside her and was now taking one of her tightly clenched hands in his own. "Cordy?" he softly asked her, "Are you okay?"

She opened her eyes and gave him a rueful smile. "No."

Tara noticed the exchange and knew immediately that Cordelia had had a vision. To have telepathically called her back meant that the vision meant something very important. The way she looked now, her normal sun-bronzed face pale and drawn, meant that what she saw was really, really… "How bad is it?" she asked her.

The Seer's gaze moved to the Wicca's. "Bad. I saw where Willow is being kept."

Buffy was surprised but elated. "What? Where?"

"Is she okay?" came from Xander.

Cordy laughed at Xander's question and everyone looked at her as if she were nuts. Considering the situation, there was absolutely nothing that was of a laughing matter.

She shook her head bleakly. "Depends on what you consider okay. She's inside a castle, surrounded by vampires. I got flashes of her and she's weak, really weak. She isn't dead but she has been bitten more than once. From what I saw. . . her top was covered in blood. Angelous has her. . . " She paused unsure of what she had seen. "I don't know for sure what's going on but we should consider her lucky that she's still alive. Half of what I was allowed to see makes no sense but what I do understand," she sighed, "Not good. Not good at all."

"Well that's good though, that she's alive, right?" said Xander relieved.

Tara knew that there was more so she patiently waited for Cordy to continue. Whatever came next was for her, the previous silent exchange with the Seer had confirmed that.

Cordelia's gaze hadn't left Tara's and when she continued, Tara felt the connection that the Seer established with her snap into place, thrusting her into Cordy's vision, letting her see what she had seen .

"The castle is old, massive. A fortress really. It's dark and unapproachable. There's power around it, darkness and danger and death. Something is protecting it - several things actually - but I don't know what. What I do know is whatever protects it is what caused the tracking spell to dissolve."

Tara frowned. She was trying to understand what she had seen, what Cordy's words had described . The images were jumbled and played on as if they were on different settings: fast forward and then slow and then rewind. Goddess, how did Cordy stand it? But she concentrated on what she needed to know: the castle. It flickered, one moment there and the next gone.

"A cloaking spell," she whispered in realization.

Wesley turned to her. "What was that?"

Tara snapped out from the connection. "Oh, um . .. The castle - where Willow is - is protected under a cloaking spell. A very powerful one. There's more to it, I just don't know what."

Wesley took off his glasses with a sigh and rubbed between his eyes. "That is bad."

Cordelia shook her head. "No, that's not bad at all. That's not even half of it."

"What do you mean?" asked Wesley, dreading the answer. How could things be any worse?

"I'm not sure, but as vague as the visions can be at times, they were very specific in one thing. There's a man - well, not a man - a vampire. I got the feeling that as much as Angelous is a threat, he is much greater. He stands beside Angelous. He's like . . " Cordelia tried to look for words, "Like an angel of death. "

"Can you describe him," queried Wesley.

"Hair that shines white in the moonlight. Slender and shorter than Angelous. A gaunt face that," she scoffs and asks herself, "how could that be, beautiful? Razor-sharp cheekbones, full lips, and dark eyebrows. I can't tell the color of his eyes, they're hidden. The way he looks, the way he stands. . . I got a sense of power and heaps upon heaps of threat."

"Anything else," asked Wesley as he was furiously searching through a book for something.

"Um. . .he had a scar, on his left eyebrow." Cordelia turned to Buffy confused, "I didn't know vampires could scar."

Buffy frowned, just as perplexed. "They don't."

"Oh, dear God," Wesley exclaimed. "Things _are_ worse!"

"What is it?" Buffy asked him.

"Cordelia, who you have described fits perfectly with one of Angelous' Childes."

"What's so special about him," Xander asked, "aside from the scar?"

"Well, not only is he Angelous' Childe which makes him just as intelligent, cunning and ruthless, but he is his right-hand. During the General's rampage, he acted as his bodyguard and protected him from attack."

"And? What's the big deal about that?" asked Buffy, not really seeing the importance or the big difference from Angelous.

"The _big deal _about that," stressed Wesley, "is not who he is but what he is. He goes by the name of William the Bloody but it's his other moniker that's what's terrifying. . . He's The Slayer of Slayers."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch 7 Amid Sunlight's Shadow


	7. Amid Sunlight's Shadow

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: ** Willow has her first close encounter with Angelous. Spike informs Angelous that they should be expecting to have visitors soon. Cordy tells both teams her vision.

**Ch 7 Amid Sunlight's Shadow**

Buffy could not believe what she had just heard. "What? He's called what?"

"Are you deaf? The Slayer of Slayers," said Cordelia, clearly pissed off. "Obviously, it is as bad as I thought and all because of your really moronic actions. Maybe we'll get lucky and this guy will kill you. Next slayer _has_ to be better than you."

Buffy was furious with Cordelia. They had never gotten along, but this animosity was at an all time high. "Listen, you bitch, next comment out of you and I will forget that you're not technically a demon and squash your ass!"

Cordelia rose angrily from her chair to confront the Slayer. "I only speak the truth. You let loose that bastard and got your friend abducted. She's in danger, she's in pain, she's weak, she's surrounded by vampires, inside - for all intent and purpose - an impenetrable fortress that technically does not exist, protected by magics we don't understand and now, NOW, we find out that not only do we have to deal with all of that and Angelous but also a deadly and powerful vampire that slays slayers!"

The room was full of rising tension until the witch almost immediately intervened. Tara's soft voice diffused the situation with her question. "Why have I never heard of this vampire before?"

Buffy gave one last scathing look at Cordelia before she turned to Wesley. "That's right. I've never heard of this vampire either. If he's so dangerous, why have I never been warned in case I came across him?"

"That's just it," Wesley tried to explain. "He killed countless of slayers during the vampire wars and a couple after that until he suddenly just disappeared. He hasn't been spotted for almost two decades now. I think seventeen years to be precise. The Coven tried to locate him since he was just as big of a threat as Angelous but they never could. It was assumed that he had perished."

"Makes sense they'd think that if he's been holed up in that castle all this time," Oz contemplated.

"Yes." Wesley had just come up with that realization. "Unfortunately, this new information, although extremely helpful, only makes our task that much more difficult."

A shiver of fear passed through Buffy's spine. She hated Cordelia for what she had said but the truth was that she had been right. This was all her fault. She may not have known that making love to Angel would make him lose his soul and put Willow's life in danger but she knew that what she was doing had been wrong. Deep down she knew that having a relationship with the epitome of what she was supposed to eradicate was wrong and that's why she had hidden and kept it secret. Angelous was loose now and she had to do everything in her power to contain him. For everything he had done to help, he deserved to have the chance to be re-ensouled. She loved Angel and would do as much for him as she could but her main priority was getting Willow back. But Cordelia's vision frightened her. She had never been frightened before and this angered her. She had come up against terrible demons and diverted various apocalypses but never before had she faced a loved one turned enemy with a bodyguard that was renown for killing Slayers. She didn't think there was anything stronger than a Slayer. Sure, Slayers were killed in the line of duty, but those deaths were always due to a mistake on the part of the Slayer. They were never done by someone who systematically fought them repeatedly and came out the victor. What did that make him? What kind of vampire was he to be the equivalent of a Slayer?

Buffy shook herself out of her dark introspections. "Okay then," her voice came out firm and resolved, without a hint of her trepidations. "We need to make whatever adjustments are necessary concerning what we know so we can move out and get Willow back as soon as possible."

"This changes a great deal," Wesley informed her, "We were expecting to perhaps come up against vampires and demons but just your average, random ones, not one as deadly as William the Bloody. Willow is in a cloaked castle which we have to be very weary of from what Cordelia has told us and who knows what's inside. We should probably assume to encounter several Master vampires, not including Angelous and William."

"If we're cloaked, we shouldn't have a problem getting in and out undetected."

"Fine, Buffy, let's say you're right and everything goes according to plan. What happens when we come up against Angelous? He's the one that has Willow, and remember that magic doesn't work on him. We don't even know if the cloaking spell will affect his perception."

Darn. Wesley had a point. "Where's Gile's?"

"Tara teleported him to Council Headquarters. He got an urgent message. It seems that the remaining gypsy clan have been keeping an eye on Angelous and knew immediately when the curse broke. Something to do with tracking the curse or the soul. I'm not sure with the particulars. We'll know more when Giles comes back."

"Is he researching the curse with the gypsy clan?"

"We should hope so, Buffy. Isn't that what you asked him to do?"

Buffy nodded. "Okay, good. Hopefully we'll be able to re-curse Angel. Now, let's put all our efforts in getting into that castle and coming back out with Willow."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow woke up with immense effort. Whatever the hell she was doing she really needed to stop doing it. She was so damn tired. Didn't think she could be so tired. Opening her eyes was futile. Giving in, she decided to save her energy and try again later. For now, sleep beckoned.

When she woke up again, she was no less tired but she found out that she could at least open her eyes. She didn't know how much time had passed but it felt both like a really long time and not at all. Her body was feeling wonky that way.

She slowly licked her dry lips, trying to get up the courage and her energies and opened her eyes. The gray ceiling of Angelous' bedchamber was staring right back at her. She had really hoped that it hadn't been true, everything that she had gone through so far.

She blinked back the strong feeling of wanting to cry. Didn't think she had the moisture necessary for the action anyway. Stupid, evil, poophead vampire.

"What have you done to me?" came the sudden angry question.

If she could pick up her head - heck, if she could turn her head - she would try to see where it was coming from. She was pretty angry by now and didn't even think about feeling any fear.

"What did _you_ do to me?" came her angry retort.

Before she knew what was happening, two strong hands had her gripped by her upper arms and pulled her up. She still couldn't see him since she didn't even have the energies necessary to hold her head up. Her head was hanging back, her long red hair just skimming the bed sheets.

Angelous stared at the weak girl. His inner turmoil evident in his eyes. Brown and gold eyes warred and fangs itched to drop down.

He let her go just as suddenly as he had grabbed her and she fell back down with a plop.

"Ouch," she muttered, scrunching her eyes shut as she willed away the blossoming crick in her neck when she had fallen back at an odd angle.

When she opened her eyes again, Angelous' face was looming in front of hers.

He didn't look pleased.

"What did you do to me?" he asked again, teeth gritted in anger and annoyance.

"I don't know what you mean," she gritted out in answer.

Defiance, thy name is Willow.

His vampiric face came forward and he growled his displeasure at her. Willow didn't even blink. Wow, feeling at death's door sure gave you a different perspective; mainly that she couldn't give a shit.

"What have you done to me?" he repeated for a third time, angry and confused. He pulled away and when he came back in her line of sight, his handsome human mask was back in place. "Why is it that when I look at you, my anger dissipates? When I touch you, you feel familiar? When I taste you, your blood feels like home? I should have drained you! Fed on your rich blood until sated and full. Why is it that the thought of you lifeless and cold leaves me with dread? WHY? Instead of leaving you dead at the Slayer's doorstep or sending you turned as a gift to her - as what I should do! - I feel like I must protect you."

He leaned into her and sustained his upper weight on one hand beside her sprawled form as the other reached for her cheek. His cool, large hand cupped her face and his thumb did slow sweeps over her downy cheek. "Why is it," he whispered to her in a voice roughened by emotion, "that you feel like mate?"

Ooh. And here was the consequence of the merge. Somehow it just figured. Now Willow what are you going to do?

Well, to begin with, she was going to keep her mouth shut no matter what. No way was she telling him why his demon saw her as his. Yeah, she could just picture herself explaining: _Well, you see, I went into you and merged my essence into yours so I could get rid of all your anger and hate so you wouldn't kill me. In return, you now have a little piece of me. Maybe. I think. I'm not quite sure. I'll get back to you on that._

Yeah. . . NO.

"What am I going to do with you?" he wondered.

"Let me go," she answered in a hoarse whisper.

His face impassive, he just scooped her up by winding one arm under her shoulders and neck and pulling her to rest in the crook of his arm. His other hand reached for something and she found the feeling of smooth, cold glass pressed against her parched lips.

At her look down to the contents of the glass, Angelous' voice said, ""Drink. It's only water."

She looked up at him and tried to read the truth in his gaze. After a moment, she figured, the heck with it and opened her lips, allowing the crisp water to pass so she could drink and replenish at least some of the moisture her body had lost through the lost blood.

The glass disappeared when she had drank all the water in it.

"Thank you," she told Angelous for the small display of care.

"You're welcome," he said after a moment of pensive silence and snaked his other arm under her legs.

"What are you doing?" Willow squeaked, eyes wide when he smoothly pulled her into his arms and stood up.

When he didn't say anything but strode out the door, Willow began to feel a niggle of worry. What was he going to do? Was he still angry about the merge? - not that he knew what had happened, but still…

She was feeling better and darn it all, that only allowed her to think and worry. She didn't really need that! She was already stressed enough as it was. Oooh, the stone walls were sure passing fast. Okay, maybe she was a little light headed. That might explain the really inappropriate giddy feeling. That or the vampire currently carrying her in his arms was just moving too fast for her. Was there such a thing as vamp on speed? Boy could he move. There zipped by another door. Bye door! No hungry vamps for me, thanks, door number. . .whatever. Hee. Where the heck was he taking her?

Angelous looked down at the slight girl in his arms when she suddenly grunted softly. A slight smile was displayed on her face. _Wonder what she's thinking about?_

He was about to turn a corner and into the corridor that led into the baths, when he spotted one of the older minions, Jaques. Jaques had been present during the vampire wars and had acted as a type of butler for the General, seeing to his comforts. He was tall and slender with dark brown hair and caramel colored eyes. He was unremarkable except for the fact that he stubbornly refused to take off a pair of spectacles that he used to wear in his previous human days and he was always impeccably dressed. Because of his lingering sense of responsibility and proud servitud, he had held the position of looking after the General's clothes, chamber, and personal things.

"General," the vampire said coming before him and giving him a respectful bow of the head. "I had heard that you were back with us. I am pleased for you. If there is anything that you need, I will only be happy to comply."

"See to my bedchamber since I've returned, but first bring me some towels, soap and a clean shirt to the baths."

"Right away, Sir." And Jaques left, without daring to look at the girl in his arms or even batting an eyelash.

Angelous made his way to the large chamber that housed the baths and entered, making his way to a stone bench and waiting for Jaques to bring the things he asked for. He sat down and comfortably held Willow against him. Before long, Jaques returned and set out the towels, shirt and soap as Angelous directed him.

"Will, there be anything else?" Jaques asked of his master.

"No, just make it known that nobody is allowed to come in. You may leave now."

When Angelous was left alone with Willow, he rose from his seat and took her to the edge of the pool where he had instructed Jaques to extend one of the towels.

Kneeling on one knee, he lowered her onto the spread towel.

Willow abruptly found a little more focus when she felt herself being placed on top of something hard yet incongruently furry and soft. Uh? When she felt Angelous' hands undoing the buttons of her pajama top she found complete focus and came to her senses. "What are you doing?" she almost shrieked with maiden modesty.

Angelous continued to undo the buttons until the top fell open, leaving a thin strip of skin bare from her collarbone to her navel. "I'm taking this off; it's covered in blood."

"Well, don't. You're a vampire, a little blood is not going to bother you.," she told him irritably. What the heck was his problem? Was he a vamp with a hygiene freak streak? "Do those buttons up, mister," she tried to put as much command in her voice while trying to hide her embarrassment and fear.

He of course ignored her and holding her gaze in direct and purposeful defiance to her wishes, he slowly peeled away the edges of the top, uncovering her upper body completely in slow increments until she was fully exposed. As he looked down at her, a flush spread throughout her body, coloring her flesh in darker shades of pink.

If she could, she would have covered herself. Heck, if she could, she would have run. Too bad neither of those options was feasible. As it was, she could only twitch her index finger of her right hand and nothing more. And she was really, really trying for more.

When Angelous' gaze traveled up to her face again, she saw his eyes had lightened and were almost swallowed in by his pupils. Uhhh. She felt his hands skim her waist, belly, and before she could say anything, had his thumbs hooked on the front of her pajama pants over her pelvic bones and his fingers had slid under the pants and over the curve of her ass.

Willow held her breath in surprise and a little bit of shock as he slowly slid her pants off her body, his fingers skimming along her ass, her thighs, her knees, her calves, her ankles and finally her feet. She had shut her eyes the moment, she had felt the slide of the cloth but now that her pants and his hands were removed she opened up one eye. The tension, the worry and the indecision were freaking killing her. Tentatively she tried to look down but the only thing in her line of vision were her NAKED heaving breasts.

OH GOD. Her body flushed even harder as her mortification escalated.

If she had been able to see Angelous kneeling at the foot of her, her body would have turned a cherry tomato red for the heat in his gaze as he looked at her nude form was consuming in its intensity.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch 8 Drowning in Fire

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:** Okay, here's the thing, I really need reviews. I want to know how I'm doing. It's a lot of fun writing this story but if I don't know how its working out, I'm really not going to be motivated to keep posting it. Is this some kind of blackmail? You betcha! So, if you want to keep reading, give me a shout. It would be deeply appreciated. It only takes a few moments to review to something that takes me a few days to plan and write out out of my busy schedule. Thanks!


	8. Drowning in Fire

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **Slayer Team and Specialists Team find out who bodyguards Angelous,making their mission that much more difficult. Willow finds out the consequences of the merge with Angelous. Angelous takes Willow to the baths.

**Ch 8 Drowning in Fire**

For the hundred time she wondered if she was dreaming. These things couldn't really be happening to her, could they? She wasn't really naked, right? I mean, it was preposterous if she thought about it. Okay, she wasn't sure - or at all - what vampires did when they were not killing. Maybe, in their spare time, they maimed and tortured. Oh God, no. This wasn't some type of sick and twisted way of torture was it? OhGodOhGodOhGod. . . What if it was? She couldn't defend herself. Couldn't even lift a freaking finger! This was definitely worse than her old suddenly-naked-in-class nightmares. Way worse!. . . She wasn't going to wake up soon.

Angelous stared at the sight before him. She was beautiful, all creamy pink, soft curves in a delicate frame. He took a moment just admiring the girl before him and in the back of his mind wondered where all his old predilections had gone to? On such an unspoiled and fresh canvas, he would have created masterpieces of blacks, purples, yellows, and lovely weeping reds. Such a thought now almost turned his stomach and a sharp pain in his chest where his long unbeating heart rested rose just thinking of anyone doing such a thing. He growled low in his chest, his demon angry at thinking of another touching what was his in any manner.

"Please," came her soft, trembling voice, the scent of fear rising from her body, "Please don't hurt me."

Angelous snapped from his thoughts and turned his undivided attention to her. Her jaw was clenched tight as well as her eyes and her colorless lips trembled. Her body had lost its rosy glow from her embarrassment and now was drained of color as if he had fed from her and drained her.

"Why do you fear me now?" he asked her, really wanting to know the answer when before she had stood up to him and had met him with courage even in her current weakened state.

When he received no answer, he went to touch her cheek but as his knuckles grazed her, she whimpered, "Please don't."

"What is it?" he asked softly.

When that got no response either, he proceeded to alleviate her current fear. "I won't hurt you."

Willow slowly opened her eyes, unwilling to trust but greatly hoping, and met his gaze with her own limpid one.

Angelous felt that strange sensation near the vicinity of his heart and on impulse softly kissed her lips by a mere quick brush before picking her up in his arms again. Her gasp barely registered as the sensation of her warm body pressed against his cold flesh swamped his senses. The feeling of that warmth was so exquisite that he almost considered the insane urge of staying in that spot forever, just holding her.

"I-I need clothes."

Willow's shy, soft voice intruded and his eyes refocused on her. Her neck and head were pillowed on his upper arm so he was able to look at her face. "Not yet."

"Huh? Wha-" began Willow but stopped short when she felt Angelous stepping down several somethings and then. . ._oh_.

Her toes were touching water.

Angelous slowly entered the pool, unsure of how a human would feel the temperature of the water. He did not want to cause her any unnecessary discomfort. And if that thought didn't anger him then he didn't know what would. Never before had he cared about a human. He was a vampire. Humans were nothing more than prey - food to the demon. They were easily expendable since they didn't hold much value outside of their life-giving blood. But this girl, this girl was different. His demon didn't see her as merely food. He saw her as something more . . .a part of himself that had been missing since his turning, maybe even before then.

At Willow's sharp intake of breath, he paused. "Are you alright?"

If she could turn any redder, she was sure that she would. How could Willow even explain to him that the feeling of her bottom hitting the cool water startled her. Goosebumps rose across her body at the temperature difference between the parts of her that were submerged and the part that weren't. "I-I'm fine. Just kinda surprised is all." Then she thought of something. "You're not going to d-drown me, a-are you?"

Angelous thought the action was beneath him but he snorted anyway. What she asked was preposterous. Even if he hadn't felt the strange connection with her, what would he want to drown her? A drowned human didn't hold much of an appeal. He preferred his food fresh.

"Not likely."

"Oh, okay. Just checking."

Angelous chuckled at that. She was a lovely but strange girl.

He made his way toward the edge of the pool where the supplies had been set down. There was a ledge wide enough for someone to fully stretch out comfortably.

He laid Willow there, the water depth covering half of her whole body.

Willow didn't know what he was doing, but once he set her down on a surface that felt like smooth, hard stone she forgot everything, even her name. Part of the cause might have been that the water reached her ears and just barely left her mouth, nose and eyes uncovered leaving her with a sense of languid detachment, but another was the fact that he had rubbed something on his hands - soap by the scent of it - and was now running them against her flesh.

He had started with one arm, picking it up and lathering it with a combination of short and long sweeps working his way up to her collarbone. She barely registered the light touches on her bruised neck, washing away some of the ache and any remaining blood that might have been left. He worked steadily, never changing his pace and by the time he was done with her other arm and he had moved over to her chest, she was in a highly sensitive state.

Willow's world condensed into one of pleasurable touch. There was nothing beyond the sensations the combination of the water and the vampire's hands created. She was so entrenched that she barely registered his hands moving lower and meticulously lathering the rest of her body.

He stopped and Willow opened her eyes, clearly wanting to tell him to continue, but before she could inadvertently speak out her desires, she was lifted up again in his arms.

For his part, Angelous was in a highly aroused state. He was holding himself in tight control. He didn't think he had ever wanted something more than he did at that moment.

Not knowing how but making it so, her skin screamed to his. He _felt_ that she was his just as he was hers, a part connected that compelled to be joined. He wanted to take, to possess, as his demon demanded the claim that was felt - _needed_ - to be officially and irrefutably created.

But he couldn't. Not yet, but soon. So he called upon the rigid control he exerted while he led countless of vampires under his command and sketched out a plan to follow. For now, he needed to see to his girl's comfort. Her skin had regained her flushed look as he worked the soap over her body. Every stroke of his hands felt the rising heat in her body temperature. In fact, he had ignored the deep desire to linger over her flesh and thoroughly explore the planes of her body when her body began to almost burn him with its increasing heat. There was also a charge in the air, quite similar to what had happened before in his bedchamber but, here, now, it was only a promise of what that charged air could become.

He needed to cool her quickly. He wasn't sure what would happen if he didn't but he would take no chances until he knew better the whats and whys of her body's reactions.

Angelous moved to a shallow part of the pool and sank down, the water reaching halfway to his chest as he sat. He positioned Willow's lax body on his lap and removed the arm that held her legs, allowing her lower body to sink down and rest on him. She was cradled against him while the water covered from her chest down. With one of his hands free, he used it to wash away any lingering soap, trying really hard not to let his baser impulses intrude.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Will you hold me, my dark knight?"

Spike looked pained for a moment as he contemplated his dark princess' request. "Dru, you know I can't."

"Please," she begged prettily as she clutched her porcelain doll to her chest, "you're not the only one that dreams, you know. If you stay with me and keep my sleep, I'll guard your dreams, my Spike."

Spike only dithered a moment. His assent was inevitable since he had never been able to refuse Drusilla anything. "All, right, pet," he told her as he went to her bed and reclined next to her. He wrapped her in his arms, her doll pressed between them. "Go to sleep now, luv."

Drusilla was facing Spike, their faces only inches from each other. She looked at him and captured his gaze with one of her rare somber ones. "You must sleep as well."

"Dru. . ."

"Sleep, my sweet William, my Spike. Nothing will intrude in your rest, for Miss Edith and I will not let anything enter my poor boy's head. My gift to you, for the rest you so desperately need."

Spike was unsure. He truly did need to sleep. He had been going for long amounts of time awake for years now, only succumbing to slumber when his body forcefully claimed it.

He did not know how it had started or why. For a long moment he thought that he might have been cursed just like his Sire but his form of punishment made no sense. He didn't have his human soul but what haunted him burned just as bright and lethal into his mind.

She came to him while he slept. In the beginning, she had no shape or form. She was pure emotion that twined around him until every inch of him was covered in her. She whispered soft words to him that he could not understand. He could feel her in every part of his exposed skin and if he used his useless lungs, he breathed her in until she filled him completely. It was ecstasy and it was torture. He was drowning in her, choking in her until she burned right through him.

As the years progressed, so did her form and he was able to catch brief glimpses of a blond strand of hair, a small golden hand or a flash of green eyes.

She was steadily but surely driving him insane. At times, he felt as barmy as his Sire Drusilla and at others he felt like what surely his Sire Angelous was going through with his cursed soul.

It had been many years before he had stepped out of the castle's protected parameters, having found out early on that she - _it_ - haunted him even awake outside them. He could not hunt, could not feed without _her_ intruding. As it was, he did not hunt anymore - humans at least. And he barely fed. If it weren't for Dru in the beginning, he would have stepped into Council territory and met the uncovered sunrise. It had gotten so bad that he had been practically a living skeleton, emaciated from lack of blood. Drusilla saw what was happening to him and fetched him with a contingency of Aurelian soldier guards. She caught up to him before he stepped into uncovered Council territory and practically forced him with her mind tricks to return home. She fed him her own Sire's blood and soothed him with touch and murmured words until he regained his full strength.

It was during that time, under his weakened delirium, that he told her of what was happening to him, of his haunted dreams. Drusilla tried to help him but she could only do so much. Spike wasn't sure what she did do or how but she had the castle's magical protection re-enforced for his sake.

Now, only asleep, while he was the most vulnerable could _she_ intrude. Being in her presence was what he could equate to Heaven, wonderful but deadly for one such as he, a demon, a vampire, a creature of the shadows. She was steadily chipping away pieces of him, remolding him into something he did not want, could not understand, and undeniably feared.

"Rest, my Spike," Dru told him, passing her hand over his eyes and making him close them. "Trust Mummy, and sleep."

And Spike did, he fell unwilling into a sleep that pulled him under into stillness.

Dru stroked her boy's hair. "Rest and grow strong. I see it, the stars have shown me and the pixies have told me. Don't worry, for soon she will come and you will be able to confront her and be free . . .one way or another."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch 9 Pale Light of Day

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **I would like to take this moment to sincerely thank littlesilverflower and Lady Draculea for reviewing. As for the rest of you . . .shake head.

Review please:-)


	9. Pale Light of Day

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **Willow gets a rather yummy bath from Angelous. Spike thinks over what haunts him and Drusilla promises to help her Dark Knight.

**Ch 9 Pale Light of Day**

Willow slowly woke up to the feeling of a warmed face and a chilled back. As she blinked, the fireplace that had been cold and empty came into focus; a strong, crackling fire now merrily burned inside its confines and heated the previously cold room.

She had slept on her side so she tried to turn to get the comforter and cover herself but when she tried she found out that she couldn't move. Not because she didn't have the energy like before but for an entirely different reason. The reason for her chilled back and lack of mobility was a large body belonging to - Willow turned her head a little to look back - _yeah_.

Of course it figured. She was right back where she started and. . . _uh oh_, judging by what she could see from what the covers _didn't _cover, the stuff she refused to name (or acknowledge really) in that place where there was water and Angelous. . .

Uhhh. Somebody help her but the situations were just getting worse. She was NAKED in the bed of said notorious evil - also NAKED - vampire.

She closed her eyes and fervently hoped that what she thought was nestled in-between her butt was NOT was she suspected it to be. Aack!

A shiver ran down her body and gritting her teeth, Willow tried to move away from Angelous without waking him but his arms prevented her from going anywhere. She was literally wrapped up in his embrace, both arms around her torso just under her breasts. They were basically plastered together, the vampire's body curving over hers.

Her heart almost stopped when she tried to move away from him and he tightened his arms on her by reflex. A brief snuffle and a nuzzle later in her hair and then nothing.

Phew, he didn't wake up.

Now what? She couldn't move and she wasn't going to fall back asleep anytime soon. She was still very tired, not as badly as before but still bad enough that she figured a whole week of sleep and rest was needed to get her full strength back. Of course, that wouldn't be anytime soon if she didn't get _away_ from the - the indecent. . .how dare he!. . . Nude . . Cold. .. Hard, uhh, really hard . . . Stupid, freaking, evil, poophead, vampire.

She wanted to cry. Really bad. She wasn't prepared for any of this! Nobody taught her how to handle this - this, whatever!

She had a sudden insane urge for her mommy, which really didn't make sense since she hadn't seen her parents in more than two years. Since the Coven promoted her and the Council placed her in the Slayer's unit were a young Slayer had been newly called.

Her eyes began to tear up as she realized that on top of everything, her bladder was giving her throbbing pains. She really had to go but she couldn't freaking move! Even if she could, where could she go to the restroom? '_Oh god,_' she thought as it occurred to her, '_vampires don't need restrooms, do they? I'm so doomed!_'

Willow couldn't hold back a sob. She normally wasn't a whiny baby but god, she felt so miserable! Who knew that helping out her friend would get her in so much trouble? She wasn't supposed to be there; she was supposed to be asleep in her own bed, the most dire thought in her mind being what new spell could help out better in patrol or how she and Oz were gonna . . .

Oz.

Was he thinking about her? Did he know what had happened? Of course he knew! No matter what, Buffy would have gone for help to get her back. Oz was undoubtedly one of the best trackers the Council had. He would find her.

A low menacing growl ruptured the silence of the room and Willow's thoughts.

"Who is Oz?" asked Angelous menacingly as he shifted her to her back so he could be able to see her face and she his.

_Oh_. Did she say that out loud?

The vampires eyes flashed golden. "Answer me."

Willow gulped. She thought about not answering him or perhaps lying, but why should she? She hadn't done anything wrong and who knew how he would react to any act of defiance from her? It had been said that demons could smell lies. Could that be true? She was still alive and relatively unharmed, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. Any misplaced courage she might have shown before had dissipated now that she could think more clearly. From here on out, preservation was her motto.

"Oz is my boyfriend," she told him truthfully.

Crap! She just started on the wrong foot and there went her motto down the drain. Looked like her answer infuriated Angelous.

He tightened his grip on her punishingly as his demon face came forward. "You. Are. Mine," he growled angrily.

Then he was kissing her. Hard, punishing kisses that devoured her lips, and when she gasped in surprise, invaded her mouth. He was everywhere, his hands moving over her body and his mouth taking from her in an almost frenzy.

She could feel countless of tiny cuts from his razor-sharp fangs as he brutally kissed her and the blood pooling from her wounds only incited him more.

He was a raging storm that was trying to pull her under and drown her. She had to calm him, slow him down, make him stop. With the little power that had slowly returned to her, Willow connected with him and sent him waves of calm, asking him without word to stop, to not hurt her, to feel and understand her distress and worry.

Fangs receded but he didn't stop. Instead, the kiss turned gentle, soft, and reverent as he sucked and licked her wounds closed. It was then that Willow couldn't help herself and before she knew it she was tentatively kissing him back, her lips molding against his lips and her tongue shyly caressing his.

Kissing him was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Not that she had much experience. Truthfully, almost none. Oz had been her first boyfriend and the first guy she ever truly kissed in a more-than-friend way. A big part could be that she considered herself a total spaz, shy and most often times insecure in herself, absorbed more in her studies and craft. But the biggest hurdle had been the power her body wielded. As she grew in knowledge and power, her body had to become a study of control and restraint unless she lose that control that kept her power in check. When Oz first kissed her, she zapped him. Not intentionally of course but it was her fault none the less. The blast hadn't been very big, but it had been powerful enough to have toppled him down to the floor. She had really freaked, not realizing what had happened and thinking that she had killed him somehow. When she rushed to his side to check his vitals, he just opened his eyes and said '_wow'. _She just had to love her wolfie's resilience and outlook on things.

Now, Willow was lost in a passionate haze, control crumbled under the vampire's masterful assault. Kissing Angelous was just. . . Wow. His lips were firm but soft, cooling her heated skin as they kissed, nibbled and licked her mouth and then moved to her chin, her jaw, her neck, her shoulder. . .

She gasped in much needed air when he moved away from her lips, her body spiraling out of control. She was flushed all over - she could feel the heat rising inside her like a growing fire created from her magic and fueled by her emotions.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as his hands skimmed over her body, and then pulled her tighter against his solid form. She raised her arms and gripped his back, her hands smoothing over cool, hard muscle that rippled as he moved lower and kissed and licked her collarbone.

Opening her eyes and seeing the air crackling with energy in front of her startled her instantaneously out of the passionate haze that Angelous had taken her into. She gasped in horror, her body going rigid at what she had caused.

Angelous immediately detected Willow's change, and with a final kiss to the skin between her breasts he moved away with regret that he couldn't continue tasting her succulent flesh. She was addicting, a mixture of strawberries and cream, blood, fire and power that only whetted his appetite for more.

Her shocked face surprised him for a moment, angering him for an instant before he realized that her reaction was not towards him but at what was around him.

Again, like before, the room was enveloped in dangerous electrical charges.

"Oh my god," Willow whispered horrified at the sight before her, her eyes wide and frightened, her face pale and her lips trembling. How could she have forgotten what happened every time she got close to someone?

When Angelous moved toward her again in an attempt to sooth her, she instinctively reacted and jerked away from him.

"Don't come near me! Don't touch me, get away!" she said panicked.

He ignored her and drew her up against him, his arms going around her and enveloping her in a firm embrace. "There's nothing to worry about."

"You don't understand," she muttered against his neck.

One hand began to stroke her long, silky red hair. "Explain to me then."

"I'm. . ." Willow began but then stopped the explanation that was going to flow from her lips. Something clicked in her brain and her eyes narrowed in suspicion and confusion. She had been out of it before, but she was sure - now that she thought about it - that this wasn't the first time her control had slipped. The bite that had been surprisingly incredible and impossibly erotic had snapped her rigid control. And the bath. . . Both times she had either lost consciousness or fallen deeply asleep and had not paid attention to her surroundings. Truthfully, she had been so out of it that she wouldn't have noticed anything beside the incredible, intense feelings Angelous had created in her and the vampire general himself.

What the hell was wrong with her? How could her body react that way with a vampire, with one of the Council's most feared enemies? How could he make her crave him with a bite, a touch, a kiss?

'_Oh, I must really be sick_,' she thought with despair. '_I enjoyed his touch. I really liked his kisses! What kind of person - human- would do that?_'

A sob escaped her, and she started what she began, before being interrupted by Angelous with his question.

Yeah, she was crying for real now, but damn it, she was more than deserving of a good cry! Everything was just crappy-crap-crap. She was the prisoner of a feared master vampire who she had mistakenly merged with and now thought that he had some sort of feelings for her. Proprietary ones to say the least. For her part, she was not feeling disgust - far, far from it! - and she had just cheated on her boyfriend who was sweet and kind. She was such a ho!

"Don't cry," Angelous' voice commanded.

That only served for her to cry more.

"Stop it," he said as he drew her back from him.

"I-I can't," she cried with despair, her breath hitching. "Y-You don't understand. You can't understand!"

He sighed and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "You've said that before. Now tell me."

Willow tried to judge his sincerity. Could she trust him? Even a little? Would he be able to understand? In the end, it didn't matter, she had had to try. Maybe, just maybe, he would let her go.

"I'm scared. You've taken me among your kind, where anyone of them can kill me. You make me lose control, make me dangerous every time you touch me - you shouldn't touch me, shouldn't kiss me, and especially no biting! - and why is that nothing has happened to you? I might not be at my full strength, or even a so-so strength but still, you should have gotten zapped, maybe scorched a little, considering what happened _three _times, in which I know I might have been more than out of it but I know what happens if you do stuff to me that you shouldn't, and no way that you should mister, because I have a boyfriend, and oh my god but I'm a terrible, horrible person that cheated on him by kissing you, and that was just wrong on so many levels, and now I'm scared and confused and I've never been so tired in my life and I just want to go home and - and why is it that I find myself naked and in your bed, and you're naked! and- and I really have to go to the restroom and you guys as vampires don't have any restrooms do you? . . .

Willow's nervous babbling tapered off. Angelous looked unfocused as if he had lost the thread of conversation a while ago. She certainly might have. Oh god what had she said? Her and explanations never went well. Any type of talking usually never went well. Coherent communication and Willow were unmixy things. She was so doomed! Why hadn't she remembered that before?

"You belong to me."

"What?"

"You're mine. You belong to me and you will never again speak of another man."

"All of that, and you only paid attention to the part about my boyfriend?" Willow asked incredulously.

It seemed that Angelous got ticked off real easily.

Angelous didn't like to think of Willow with another. His demon raged inside of him to destroy whoever dared touch her before him. She was now his and no one, _no one_, was allowed to touch her but him. The thought of another man kissing her, caressing her skin, holding her affection, made him see red, the bloodlust screaming to him, to hunt, to kill. "You will _never_ speak of another man ever again, is that understood? Your past is gone. You are mine now and no one else's. "

What? Willow was dumbfounded. What the hell had he just said?

She shook her head as if to clear it. "What? What did you just say?"

"You are mine. You belong to me. Do not make me repeat myself again and do not defy me."

"Or else what?"

"You don't want to find out. I'll destroy whatever holds your interest away from me. I don't handle jealousy well."

Her eyes couldn't have gotten any wider in disbelief. "I'm not a pet! You-you just can't keep me and expect me to say 'sure, okay'. Besides, you don't know me, so - so you can't really be wanting me around. Really, I'm more trouble than I'm worth. It's better if you just let me go and - and go our separate ways; you know me to the Council and you… here… and whatever it is you do."

Angelous just gave her a hard glare, not bothering to answer her. His position had been made sufficiently clear.

Willow's forced smile fell. Yeah, she didn't think that talking to him would work. She needed a plan. Whatever she would come up with to escape would have to be later when her full power returned. For now, there were other pressing matters.

"I need to got to the restroom," she confessed in a low mortified voice.

His brow went up and then he pointed with his head toward the corner of the room apposite her where a screen had been set up.

She stared blankly at first.

"No way!" she said appalled. "You m-must have rooms where your restrooms are situated. You do have restrooms, don't you?"

Angelous quirked his lips. "Yes, we do. They're for our human slaves."

"O-okay then, well if you'll just excuse me…" she said as she held the covers tighter to her body and tried to get off the bed without exposing any of herself any more than she had been already.

Angelous' hand shot out to hold her back. "You will not leave this room."

"But-but… "

"No."

"You can't be serious?" she asked in a high pitch. 'He couldn't be, could he?' she wondered with rising panic. What the hell was wrong with him? Could he be any more evil? "I-I can't! No. I need privacy…and…clothes…and privacy…and what the hell is wrong with you?"

He looked at her in contemplation. "I find the idea of you unclothed very appealing." He traced a finger slowly down from her collarbone to her arm. "But at the same time, if someone where to see you, their life would be forfeit. I don't know what you do to me, but I fear for my own Childer for if that happened and they were responsible, not even they would be safe from my wrath."

Willow tried to judge his sincerity, her own eyes falling into his dark ones, mesmerizing her with their sudden bursts of flecks of gold as he talked.

He moved away and got up from the bed in one fluid motion, allowing Willow to really see him for the first time before she shut her eyes tight against the sight that refused to leave, the imprint clearly etched in her mind. Uhhh. She'd never seen a naked man before, and had nothing against for which to compare, but she was positive that not many could measure up to the vampire general. He was both broad and sleek muscled that served to emphasize his strength with smooth skin that though pale still held a hint of a darker shade compared to others such as the one that had brought her back from her fantastically failed attempt to escape. Angelous had broad shoulders, firm arms, smooth back (wait, was that a tattoo?), firm legs… firm butt and…a flash of dark curls that…_no, not going there!_

'_Bad Willow, really bad_,' she thought, admonishing herself. '_What do you think you're doing? Hello, Oz! Hello, Buffy! Got no right ogling long…thick… velvety…_

Oh my god, she had gone insane.

The feel of a cold band of metal snapping around her wrist startled her and when her eyes flew open she had to internally thank all the deities she could think of for making the vampire cover up since where he was standing put his crotch at eyelevel right next to her.

Still, that didn't prevent her from blushing a fiery scarlet. A definite bulge was still discernible inside the leather pants. And she didn't need to imagine what said bulge looked like now that she had gotten that glimpse, no matter that the sight had taken her unawares.

Thinking back on it now, she hadn't really realized when Angelous had removed his pants. Of course he had to when he carried her into the pool but the fact remained that she hadn't noticed. Neither had she noticed when he had removed the slender manacle and chain from her wrist. She had truly been out of it.

And now she was back in chains. Well, chain. But not an easy one to escape from - impossible if she believed Angelous' word.

"I will permit you the privacy you requested, but only for a moment. You are lucky that I'm allowing you this since you have awaken me during the time I sleep. I'm sure you'll find a way to thank me for my graciousness. "

Why that sanctimonious sounding jerk! '_Wait till I have my full powers back_,' she thought quite peeved. '_Just wait_.'

He grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "Oh, and my Fire? Never, _ever_ jerk away from me or order me to get away from you."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day had passed faster than anyone would have liked. Nobody was prepared for the undertaking of the rescue inside the Shadowland's territory.

The group had assembled in the armory. The Council's armories were housed in huge rooms, containing every type of weapon imaginable. The mansion was no exception. One level underground, it ran almost half the length of the whole mansion. Four, two double doors accessed the room; the first doors were made out of heavy wood following the Council's general décor but the second set of door a few feet in were made out of heavy steel bars that closed and locked automatically in case of a security breach.

The walls of the armory were covered in weapons and gear from top to ceiling and benches and long wooden tables ran in the middle along its length.

Xander, Buffy, and Oz were standing beside a table that was covered in weapons and gear that Xander had prepared for the rescue mission. As Wesley and Cordelia entered the room, they could hear the other three debating over the weapon choices. Speculations ran high since nobody from their generation had previous knowledge of how to equip for such a situation. Xander wanted heavily armed, knowing full well how dangerous their rescue was. Buffy and Oz were against the idea. Not only did they both depend on their super strength and speed but both were used to combat with minimum weapons. Oz, like most half-breeds, was his own weapon when he transformed.

"Look, all I'm saying is that it's better to be over-prepared than under," reiterated Xander.

Buffy wasn't convinced. "I'm fine with what I normally carry. Anything more and I'll just be weighted down."

"Sorry man," said Oz, "but I can't use any protective gear. It'll only get in the way if I have to quickly shift into wolf."

"Yeah, about that," piped up Cordelia, "I won't wear any protective gear either."

"But –"

"No."

"Cordy," began Wesley.

"No, whatever you're going to say, just no, Wes."

"It's for your safety-"

"Oh, that's bull and you know it. Where we are going it won't do squat if we get caught," she told him. "Besides, it will weigh us down. Our best chances are if we go in and out as quickly as possible. If we get caught, we might as well kiss our ass goodbye."

Wesley took a moment to consider. He had never dismissed any of Cordelia's suggestions before since she almost always was right. All of the members of his team were usually right in their observations - that's why they were so efficient and were considered the best in what they did.

"Very well, Cordelia,"

Xander looked unbelievably at the group and then just threw up his hands in defeat.

Buffy turned to Xander and grinned, "So, what weapons are we taking?"

"Hold up, I'd rather have everyone here so you all know what each and everyone of you is carrying. That way there are no surprises and we'll know what we can count on from each other if we have to fight our way in or out."

"Tara and Giles?" Oz asked Wesley and Cordy.

Cordelia turned inward, sight unfocused for a moment, communicating with Tara telepathically. "She's on her way. The coven has just finished compiling our magic arsenal."

"Is she picking up Giles?" asked Buffy.

"No. Someone else is bringing him back from Council Headquarters."

"Oh, and speak of the devil," said Xander as one of the heavy wooden doors opened and revealed Giles holding it open for a pretty brunette.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Jana, from the Romanan Gypsy clan. Her people were the ones that created Angelous' curse. She's here to help us."

"Please, call me Jenny," the gypsy said to the group with a warm smile.

"Does it mean that you can re-curse him?" Buffy asked the woman hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry," Jenny shook her head regretfully. "I'm afraid that the original has been permanently lost. For a long time now, we have had suspicions that the parchment were the curse was written down was stolen. Our only hope now is researching and translating from the compilation of our past records and whatever knowledge has been passed down orally."

"But that could take forever!" Buffy exclaimed dismayed at the notion of having Angelous running around as a threat or of her having to stake him.

"Normally, yes, it would take years of research before we had anything useful," agreed Jenny. "But for a long time now, I have been working on the possible origins of the curse. I already have much information gathered and a small piece of what I believe to be a portion of the original curse found."

"Really? That is amazing, and rather wonderful news," said Giles impressed.

Jenny blushed under the older Watcher's praise. "It isn't much. What little of the curse I have still has to be translated and verified to see if it might possibly be part of the original. And yet still, we have nothing to tell us if it is, only the type of language structure that might give us an idea. It's a painstaking process that has taken us decades to compile."

Wesley was intrigued, naturally, but also confused. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but, if what you have is not only incomplete but unknown in authentication, and that small amount took so long to obtain, how can you help us now when we are so pressed for time?"

Jenny gave him a small smile, not at all offended. "It's true than under normal circumstances, trying to understand the information we have and re-creating the curse would take us as many years or more since my people started the research, but I have been working on a program that will hopefully facilitate that process and interpret the translation that we do possess. The program is almost complete. Either way, I had no choice in the matter. My clan and the Council sent me here to try to help in any way I could with the situation. The Council believes that with the help of both you gentlemen," she looked directly at Wesley and Giles, "we might come up with the curse faster. "

Jenny sighed. "None of us have much choice . . .or any other options."

"What does that mean?" asked Buffy, not liking the gypsy's defeated tone.

"The Council is under preparations of gathering an army."

"_What_?" Buffy said.

"Holy moly," was Xander's low exclamation.

"With the threat of the vampire general on the loose, it is only a matter of time before he gathers his forces and attacks Council Territory," said Jenny sadly.

"You can't be certain of that," exclaimed Buffy. "He had a soul for a really long time. Who's to say that didn't impact him for the good somehow? Maybe - "

The dark-headed gypsy shook her head. "No, if anything, the soul has worsen him somehow, made the demon madder, crazier. Remember that his soul was a curse, created for his sole torment of his actions against my people. The soul effectively made the demon a prisoner, caged and fettered under the weight of a tormenting conscience. Being free from that after so long…" she trailed off, thinking about the consequences and then shuddered. The thought of a crazy, feral, master vampire made her blood run cold.

Buffy didn't want to think such things about her love. She was barely coming to grips that the man she loved was essentially gone, replaced by the demon that originally inhabited his body. She hadn't paid much attention to the history of the Wars but she couldn't believe that Angel would revert to such a degree as to start one again.

"No, I don't think Angel would start a war against us after being freed so soon," declared the Slayer.

"Perhaps, you're right," said Jenny, "but it's only a matter of time when he does. Of that, the Council, the Coven and the Seers have no doubt."

"Wait, what?"

Jenny sighed and wearily sat down in one of benches that interspatially lined the wall. She was so tired all of the sudden and the weight of responsibility and lack of time concerning the vampire general's curse was felt rather heavy on her shoulders. "The Coven felt when the curse was broken. Not only did they know of Angelous' release but also felt a backlash of his dark energy, and the Seers have confirmed. They've had several disturbing visions of what might happen - none of it good. We're speaking of apocalypse, end of the world here, war and carnage at best The anger, the fury and the hate that he transmitted when the curse broke sent several of the empaths reeling. Two of the strongest ones are in a coma."

Those gathered looked at her in shock.

"And it just gets better and better," Cordelia muttered sarcastically

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be Continued: Ch 10 - Belly of the Beast

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **Sorry for the long delay in posting. First RL intruded with its hectic schedule and then my main computer crashed taking down my whole network. Gaah! So to make it up, Ch 9 is a tad longer than usual. Hope you like and please review!

For those who have, thank you , thank you, you don't know how happy it makes me :-)


	10. Belly of the Beast

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: ** Willow comes to several realizations. The Slayer's group and the Specialist's group prepare for going into the Shadowlands and they meet Jenny who sheds light on several situations.

**Ch 10 Belly of the Beast**

Sunlight struggled to break through the thick, gray clouds that covered the sky. Whatever muted light passed through, the heavy canopy of the forest diluted it even more, transforming the area into one of dusk in daylight and impenetrable dark at night.

A group of seven passed through, their motions undetected even among the unnatural stillness of the forest. Steadily they moved deeper into the Shadowlands as ghosts, their presence cloaked.

The energy was chaotic, swirling around in random patterns. Almost like spider webs, Tara could practically feel the strands of energy like sticky webbing, trying to ensnare and tangle. It was taking all her concentration not to lose focus into her surroundings and keep the intricate cloaking spell in place. She had underestimated the pull and disorder of the Shadowlands and greatly feared of the spell crumbling that was keeping the others and her from being detected. As she had explained before, she had to monitor each and every one of her team members to be able to cloak them but the disturbing energy in the Shadowlands was pulling, sticking and tangling into them, making her task a hundred times more difficult.

'_Oz,_' she said telepathically to the team member that led them, '_You need to try and track Willow as quickly as possible_. '

Because of the manner that they had all gone in, they had been temporarily linked to be able to communicate with one another without alerting the enemy in case the spell failed. Everyone 'heard' Tara, but it was the urgency she conveyed that caused a ripple of unease throughout the group.

'_What is it Tara?_' asked Wesley, knowing full well that it was dire if it made the normally calm Wicca incredibly fretful, sending out her emotions like cold ripples through the link.

'_The Shadowlands' energy disturbance is much greater than I expected. I won't be able to hold the cloaking spell for long_.'

'_Crap_,' came Xander's response.

'_How long?_' asked the Slayer.

'_Two, three hours at most_,' said Tara, trying to calculate.

'_That's one hour in and one out and the other for rescuing Willow,_' said Oz, not pausing in his quick strides and not allowing the others to fall behind. His pace increased. '_That's cutting it too close.'_

'_I know_,' agreed Tara gravely.

"All right then, everybody move it. We have a time constraint now," ordered the Slayer as everyone picked up their pace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oz suddenly stopped the grueling pace that he had set, making everyone else jerk to a stop, disorienting them for a moment by the sudden shift of motion or lack thereof.

'_What's the problem?' _Buffy asked Oz. She had taken her position in the back of the group to cover their path knowing full well that Oz could protect them in the front.

'_I'm not sure,' _he said, cocking his head to the side as if listening for something and then picking up his head to sniff the air around them. He looked around the forest and then back to his group. The spell was designed to cloak them from seeing eyes except each other. Behind him and to the right stood Cordy, her hand resting on the hilt of her word. Beside Cordy was Xander holding a special Council rifle with a silencer that packed wood-tipped silver bullets that exploded on impact, filled with a mixture of holy water, garlic and other components deadly to various demons. Behind him was Tara, flanked by Giles and Wesley who were carrying crossbows. Buffy was the last, protecting the rear. She held a sword out in readiness but everyone knew that the numerous stakes she had hidden away in her body were always only seconds away from being able to be used.

Seconds after the werewolf's eyes snapped to the Slayers, and before he could give warning, the woods exploded in a frenzy of action.

'_Heads up!' _the Slayer shouted as countless of vampires jumped down from the trees they had been perched on.

'_It's an ambush!_' shouted Cordelia.

'_Not possible. We're cloaked. They don't know we're here,_' responded Buffy.

A vampire jumped down from a tree too close to Tara, sideswiping her and making her stumble back into Giles who quickly held her steady with one arm. The Wiccan gritted her teeth as she forced herself not to lose concentration.

'_It's a trap!_' barked Cordelia as she pulled out her sword from its scabbard, ready to cut down the enemy.

'_No!_' ordered Buffy, spying the Seer's intent as she also warily kept an eye on the enemy surrounding them. '_You'll give away our presence!_'

'_Buff?' _Xander asked worried. '_What do we do now?'_ The numerous vampires were sniffing and scanning for them. Two passed on either side of Xander who barely had time to shift sideways before they could stumble onto him. The one that had inadvertently sideswiped Tara was looking for her, for what it had _touched_.

The group shifted and moved, doing their utmost to elude them.

'_Oz, how far?' _asked Buffy.

The werewolf stood still, ignoring the presence of the vampires and used all his senses to detect their progress. Something up ahead was different, smelled different, made the wind sound different. '_Not far.'_

'_Close to the castle's perimeter?'_

Oz scanned again to make sure. _'I'd say yeah.'_

Buffy bit her bottom lip, as she quickly tried to think. They couldn't dust the vamps because that would only serve to alert the enemy of their presence. Being so close to the Aurelian castle meant certain death or possible capture and failure at any rescue attempt.

'_Buffy?' _barked out Giles as he and Wesley tried to maneuver Tara and themselves away from the seeking vampires.

Buffy searched around with wide eyes. They needed to get away undetected. . . But how?

'_They're searching for us!' _Cordelia pointed out, incredulous and with rising apprehension in her voice. '_How can they know we're here?'_

'_Can't be,' _Giles told her as he maneuvered the Wicca and himself away from a vamp that passed too close to them. _'I can detect the spell that Tara is holding up and it is fully functional.'_

'_No, these vamps know we're here,' _said Xander after he jumped sideways and then crouched when one vamp came at him and another swiped out his arm through the air.

'_We need a distraction,'_ Buffy said, coming with the solution. She patted around in her body without taking her eyes away from the vamps around her. She could not use any of her stakes since their discovery would obviously expose her presence if not the ones of her team members. Only the Slayer and a few from Council Territory used those weapons delineating the Slayers' heritage and specifically designed to destroy vampires.

Her hand moved lower and then gripped the dagger strapped to her thigh. She didn't want to use the dagger. She really liked it but more importantly, it had been a present from Angel. On its discovery, Angelous would know of her presence. If these vamps were Aurelian and took the dagger to the General before they could rescue Willow, then who knew what could happen. The vampires would search for them in truth and put them on alert. Willow could be lost to them and they might get lost as well in the Shadowlands, just like another unfortunate casualty.

Then, as if by divine intervention or just plain dumb luck, the distraction that Buffy had wanted to create by throwing something far away to sound in the distance and get the vampires moving to search in that direction came unexpectedly in the guise of a Tronox.

To say that Tronox were dumb was to put it mildly. A lot of their shortcoming were because of their lack of evolved senses. They had horrid sight, abysmal sense of smell and pathetic hearing. If it weren't for their fast reflexes, their strong, razor-sharp teeth and their ten-inch claws, they would have become extinct a long time ago either by the hand of the humans or by other demons. Tronox looked like a cross between a very large wolf and a pig. They were mean and ugly and as far as anybody knew, held no use for anything.

When the vampires turned toward the sound, Buffy saw their opportunity of escape.

'_Go! Move it!' _she ordered.

The group moved as the vampires' attention was diverted to the intruder and headed toward Oz who was a few feet ahead of them. The snarling of the demons hurried them, expounded on their sense of urgency and shivered down their taut nerves.

Giles was practically supporting Tara with his arm around her waist as they hurried along, Wesley keeping close to them in protection.

They had only traveled a short distance away when Tara cried out and stumbled from the agony she was suddenly bombarded with.

'_Tara!_' cried Giles as she slumped against him, almost doubling over from the pain. A sweat broke out from her forehead as she gritted her teeth. Something or someone was trying to rip into her mind, her concentration, her spell. The struggle was placing tremendous pressure on her already precarious hold of the magic.

'_Ca-can't hold it,' _she barely wheezed. Everything was threatening to unravel. Even the mental link was fraying.

Giles' grip on her tightened. '_What? Tara? Tara!'_ She was shaking almost uncontrollably now and Giles had no choice but to sheath away his crossbow on his back and sweep her up into his arms.

'_What's going on?' _demanded Buffy.

'_She's under attack,' _replied Giles with a worried look on his face.

This couldn't be happening. There was no possible way that someone would know that they were there. _'By what?' _she asked angrily.

Giles just shook his head, devoid of an answer.

In the front, Oz'face contorted in pain and his jaw opened wide in danger of transforming. A piercing whistle, soundless to the human ear sounded not too far from him.

'_Incoming!' _Xander warned just as the vampires from before came charging back with blood-splattered clothes.

The Slayer tried to move away from the charge but the nearest vampire moved right along with her and lunged. She fell on her back hard with the snarling vampire on top of her.

'_The cloaking spell is disintegrating!' _warned Giles as the vampires came at them. The group flickered in and out as Tara tried to hold the spell together.

Buffy managed to kick the vampire away from her and quickly got up. In one fluid sweep, she decapitated another vampire near her and almost simultaneously dusted the one that she had kicked away with a throw of a stake-holding hand.

Xander moved to protect Giles and Tara. Wesley had shot one vampire down and was trying to reload as quickly as possible. Sandwiched between Xander and Wesley, Giles had no choice but to trust in them to protect Tara and him.

Xander shot three vampires down as they tried to near the group and turned just in time to dust another that was coming behind Wesley. Wesley had reloaded and dusted the vamp that had taken the moment when Xander's back was turned to take the brunette down.

Cordelia was a fluidity of motion as her sword swished through the air and cut down anything that dared to come near her. She was closest to Oz and was trying to protect him. She had immediately noticed that something was wrong with him and tried to give him time to compose himself.

It seemed that as soon as one vamp went down, two took its place. The forest was becoming infested with Aurelian vampires and the new ones were armed. Cordelia had her hands full with two armed with swords. She ducked, dipped and parried as she tried to get an opening to kill them and not end dead in the process.

Meanwhile, the Slayer had used her stakes on as many vampires as possible but when the armed ones arrived she had to employ her sword. Her sword, unlike Cordelia's, did not possess the ability to kill the vampires unless she beheaded them, so her task was made that much more difficult; she needed to behead them or disarm them and then stake them.

'_We must retreat!_' cried Giles as he witnessed their plight. Tara's struggle was so great that he could feel the reverberations of the warring magics. It was inevitable that the entire cloaking spell would crumble. Whatever was attacking Tara was incredibly strong. They were surrounded by vampires and their plan, which had relied on going in undetected, had failed. They had no chance now of rescuing Willow. They needed to retreat before anyone of them got killed or captured.

Suddenly, Tara, who had wrapped an arm around Giles' neck, began to murmur something between gritted teeth and her hand unclenched and laid flat on the Watcher's shoulder. A current passed from the Watcher; he could feel it come from the Earth and flow up into his soles and through his body toward Tara.

'_What did you do?' _he asked her, worry and amazement coloring his voice.

'_Time,' _she mind-whispered; fatigue and pain clearly evident through the link._ 'I've given us time.'_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch 11 Clash

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: You have no idea how difficult it has been to get this chapter done. RL (work, intercontinental trips, family, the stupid network, etc.) have really kept me busy. Got to say that your lovely reviews keep me going. Thanks!


	11. Clash

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **The Council's teams enter the Shadowlands, Tara finds out she can't hold the cloaking spell for very long because of the land's interference and they stumble into an ambush.

**Ch. 11 Clash**

All of the sudden, all of the vampires hesitated. The cloaking spell was reinforced by Tara's desperate move. She knew it had been a great gamble trying to borrow strength from the earth. Although connected, not all earth was equal; the one in the Shadowlands was riddled with chaotic energy that could have easily damaged her own disintegrating magic. But the gamble had paid of, and for a short amount a time, they were safe inside the cloak, invisible and nonexistent.

In the split-second of hesitation, Buffy, Cordelia, Xander and Wesley dusted the vampires that they were fighting.

'_What's going on?' _asked the Slayer.

'_Tara has strengthened the cloaking spell,' _replied Giles. His body was still thrumming with the residual power that had cursed through his body and into Tara's.

'_But… we don't… have… much time,' _interjected the exhausted Wicca. '_I can… feel the drain… and the barrage. I… won't be able… to hold it… for very long.'_ She shut her eyes tight as she felt another onslaught. _'Now…we must move.. now!'_

The Slayer signaled the Tracker to move but Oz was still trying to shake off the wolf. He could still feel the reverberations of the whistle all the way to his bones, jarring and grinding to motion.

'_Oz?' _worried Buffy when he did not move.

Cordelia stepped in front of him. His body was rigid and looking into his eyes she could see the internal struggle he was undergoing as his pupils contracted and retracted like a cats. '_Shit,'_ she muttered.

'_Cordelia?' _wondered Wesley, unsure of what was happening. Nothing in their experience in the field came close to what they were undergoing at the moment.

Cordelia turned to them to respond, but just as she was about to reply, several things happened at once. The few seconds of respite were a false lull before the storm.

Tara cried out again in pain as a more powerful onslaught rammed into her mind like scorching hammers. Those vampires that had not been dusted renewed their attack as the spell began to unravel once more and the group began to intermittently flicker into sight.

Cordelia was more than busy trying to protect both herself and the immobile Oz. Several of the enemy were taking advantage as seeing that he was the weakest link.

'_Oz!' _Cordelia screamed at him in panic as the number of assailants increased. '_Whatever is wrong with you SNAP OUT OF IT!'_

Wesley kicked away one vamp as he fired at another and the second he exploded into dust, Wesley whirled and threw a vial of holy water at the cluster of vampires attacking the Seer. The bottle exploded like a grenade and doused three vampires causing them to roar and stumble at the sudden scorching of their flesh and giving Cordelia enough time to dispatch them and cut down the number of vamps attacking.

'_Go_,' Xander told Wesley as he fired at the approaching vampires, dusting some and slowing down others. '_Help Cordy. I can handle these.'_

Wesley took a few precious seconds to look at Xander to make sure that what he said was true. He was warring with indecision, needing to protect the vulnerable Wicca and older Watcher and needing to protect the immobilized werewolf and grossly outnumbered Seer. Cordelia's cry of outrage spurred his decision. One vampire had gotten through her defenses and had a grip of her neck and sword arm.

Without much thought, Wesley shot an arrow toward the vampire's back, piercing the heart and dusting him, freeing Cordelia just in time to defend herself and Oz against the other incoming vampires' attacks. As he moved toward her, punching and kicking and shooting down as many of the enemy that encircled the Seer, the Slayer's sudden and frantic command resonated through the link.

The Slayer hacked away at the armed vampires; spinning, kicking, jumping, ducking, she disarmed them one by one and dusted them. Three she beheaded, two by swords and another by a powerful roundhouse kick. Others, she used her other hand to slam a stake in their hearts. She was a motion of fury as she fought off the countless number of vampires that never seemed to diminish in size. Her Slayer senses were manically running throughout every nerve in her body like electricity but nothing prepared her for the sudden and intense jolt that zapped through her body and almost left her breathless with its intensity.

Since Buffy had entered the Shadowlands, her Slayer senses had been on a constant alert; a humming in the background of her being, alerting her that she was in demon territory. The vampire ambush had taken her completely by surprise. When she should have felt the vampires' signatures way before they were encountered, she had only had that background tingle. She hadn't expected the cloaking spell to also cloak her senses to demons. Now that it was breaking down, the vampires' signatures were making her nerves riot with so many, but she never expected for what hit her next. Her senses, already taut, suddenly exploded as the feelings of the incoming signatures approached - fast. It was nothing like she had ever felt before, so powerful that she almost screamed out loud.

'_MOVE! MOVE NOW!' _she commanded in an almost hysterical mind-scream. There was no way they could take the several whatevers that were swiftly closing in.

Cordelia moved immediately at Buffy's command. Still swinging her sword, she backed into Oz and gripped his arm, preparing to pull him with her when she made a break for the direction that they had been heading.

There was no time.

Before, anything more could be done or said, the objects of the Slayer's concern appeared. Leaves parted and, as if materializing from the gloom, the vampire general arrived with two others flanking his sides.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Looks like the party has started," Angelous remarked to his companions as he took in the fighting with a feral grin.

"Oooh, yes. We'll have tea and cake," Drusilla said with a dark and sultry smile as she lightly swayed to some melody only she could hear.

The blond on the general's left side said nothing. He just looked on with an unreadable expression at the furious battle between the humans and the vampires.

"Miss me, lover?" the tall, dark haired vampire called out in the direction of the furiously fighting group of vampires. Angelous didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused at the sight. Seemed like his soldiers were fighting specters that could barely hold their image together. The flickering see-throughness of the struggling humans was not something one saw everyday.

"Dru, my love, can you do something about this?" he asked his beautiful dark-haired childe without taking his eyes off the battle.

Knowing without erring instinct of what her 'Daddy' asked of her, Drusilla began to hum from deep in her throat as if searching for a certain pitch. When she found it, her humming seemed to snake into the air and trespass even the din of battle.

A shout of great pain broke out from one of the previously silent humans. And then, everything came tumbling down.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buffy knew it was too late but her Slayer disposition prevented her from giving up on the mission. Hearing Angel's voice sent shivers down her spine. She studiously avoided looking toward him; she was afraid her resolve would crumble. She knew it wasn't her vampire anymore, but she couldn't dictate to her heart what her mind was telling her. Fear warred with hope that maybe there was enough of the man inside the demon, enough feeling for her. There was no time for such thoughts though. The mission came first -- and getting out with their lives.

She was fighting off half a dozen vamps at a time, with Xander, Wesley and Cordy not faring any better. Giles could do nothing while he held Tara. Oz seemed to be their only hope. Cordy and Wesley were in front of him, fighting off the vampires and the path behind him was clear.

'_GO! OZ, GO!_' she mind-screamed at the were-wolf, pushing her panic and urgency in her thoughts with a Slayer's strength, acting like a dousing of ice-cold water.

The were-wolf blinked and instantly came on alert. Whatever had gotten a hold of him, evaporated; the Slayer's order the only thing resonating throughout his body. He turned toward Buffy and their gazes clashed.

'_Find Willow! G-!' _The spell was breaking down and the link ruptured as Tara screamed in agony.

Buffy turned toward Tara in dread as she still furiously fought off the vampires. Her wide eyes panicked as she realized what was happening. "Now!" she ordered at Oz. They didn't have anymore time and they were never really prepared for the eventuality of the cloaking spell failing. They were not there to fight but to stealthily retrieve. The best they could do now was hold the enemy off until Oz could retrieve Willow and then retreat.

"Oz, go!" she shouted as she struggled to be heard over the sounds of the fighting.

As Oz turned and left, a resounding roar of anger echoed throughout the clearing before a dark, large blur headed toward Oz' retreated form.

Buffy barely had time to see through the corner of her eye what was happening. _No!_ Angelous was going after Oz! A scream of frustration tore from her throat and with renewed strength fueled by anger, she tore through the vampires and made her way toward Angelous.

The Slayer wasn't the only one who had picked up on Angelous' move. Cordelia was the farthest away from her team, having tried to propel the rigid Oz away from the fighting, and the vampires had pushed her even more as she little by little lost ground to them as she moved away from their attacks. Now, she was the only one standing between her teammate and the vampire general. She did not think before she acted, she just pulled a stake from her back and threw it, aiming for the heart.

She missed.

Without missing a beat, Angelous just moved his body sideways as he purposefully strode toward her… and toward Oz.

"Now, that wasn't very nice," a voice drawled out a couple of steps from where the stake had landed on the ground.

Cordelia had no time to see who had said that. She intercepted Angelous and swung her sword trying to cut him down. He growled in warning as he moved away from her blade. She followed the swing with a kick that he intercepted with an iron grip. Cordy flipped her whole body in the air and twisted sideways, effectively escaping Angelous' hold. As she landed on her feet, her sword arm came up and pressed the tip of the her sword against Angelous' neck before he had time to move away.

His formidable bulk dwarfed her and he stared her down without a flicker of fear or apprehension. . .which just really pissed her off. It didn't help when he twisted his lips in a shoddy semblance of a smile.

"Don't you know it's not wise to turn your back on the enemy?" he asked her, his dark eyes probing her own.

_What? _A cool breath blew across the back of her neck and ruffled her hair. The suddenness made her jerk away and in that split second lose her advantage. Angelous ducked the thrust and as she tried to spin around, two strong arms grabbed her and swung with her, the momentum causing her back to fall flush against a solid chest.

She was trapped within two arms and a chest that felt like steel. One arm was around her waist, trapping her body against him and the other held the wrist holding her weapon, pinning her across her chest.

A panic unlike anything she had ever felt before crashed over her. She tried to pull the weight of her attacker forward so she could flip him over her but that only succeeded in him picking her up so her feet couldn't find purchase on the ground. In desperation she bucked and writhed, trying to get free and only finding failure.

"Now, now, pet, none of that," said a masculine voice close to her ear that caused her to tense and goose pimples erupt from her flesh.

She gritted her teeth and tried to bring her head back to hit him but he seemed to know her intent because she was only met with the vampire's upper chest. He chuckled and brought his chin down, resting it on the top of her head. His mocking action only made her angrier. She had a distinct vision of a grin.

"Shall we dance, luv?" he asked her in a silken voice close to her ear again.

Cordy was tempted to try head-butting him again. "What are you talking about you wacko?"

All of a sudden he let her go. She moved away and quickly turned…and almost wish she hadn't. It was him, the one from her vision.

Without the veil of vagueness, of detachment from the body but not the sense, especially the one of pain, he was much more and much less than what she had envision. He was not much taller than her and slim. All linear planes and shadows. A combination of light and darkness to each extreme. Not unlike Willow's impression: a fallen angel. He just stood there, studying her with fathomless blue eyes, a powerful beast in wait. Power, not by its size or form, by what he radiated in that intangible feel that surpassed the material. Here was the thing to fear if fear the Council would. Not Angel or Angelous with its past of amassing armies to work its havoc, but a single one - him- to shake it to its foundations. How she knew this, Cordelia didn't know, but like her visions, she knew it to be truth.

The vampire cocked his head, a shadow of inquisition and introspection and raised his hand to his face, long, elegant fingers passed over his infamous scar as he looked at her. "I suppose its fitting that it should end as it began." He got a faraway look in his eyes for no more than a few precious seconds and then came back to her in all his piercing clarity and dropped his hand. His eyes strayed to her sword. "Strange I didn't come across it more. Now, at this time… Those sodding bastards, probably think its funny that."

Cordelia was lost. It wasn't important, his death was, but she couldn't help herself. "What?" What the hell was he talking about? Why wasn't he attacking? Why wasn't she, for that matter? And on that thought, she came at him, intent to cut him down.

For one endless moment, she thought that she would pierce his hear without him even putting up a fight as he just stood there, still and waiting. But then, at the very last possible moment he moved, somersaulting over her as he twisted and gripped her wrist -- and in one inhumanly move sent her careening away from him.

She crashed against someone else and fell down on the ground with the impact. Looking up, she saw Buffy, as still as the vampire before them as they gazed on each other stunned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oz was near. He could feel it, a twist in his being that screamed directions and lighted paths.

He ran, knowing full well that the others wouldn't be able to hold the vampires for long. He knew that the Slayer would try to keep the attention on them and away from him, but the land was ripe with enemies and dangers that were not only those of the Aurelian vampires.

A shifting in the air made his hackles rise, like static electricity or a magnetic field. The hairs on his body stood on end a split second before he slammed into an invisible barrier that repelled him with a force so great that it threw him ten feet away. He growled, feeling his demon half rise in anger at being denied as well as attacked.

So this was the powerful spell that Cordy had seen in her vision. The problem was that not only did it cloak the presence of the Aurelian castle but it also acted as a shield. The sight of more forest, more untouched land, mocked him. His eyes might be lied to but his other senses would not. Beyond that barrier was Willow. Her unique essence almost a palpable thing in the trail he followed. He had to rescue Willow. He was so near, dammit.

He rose from the ground and prepared to attack the barrier again when he was knocked away and to the side. He rolled as he impacted on the ground and jumped to his feet without missing momentum. His eyes bled golden in anger as he faced his attacker.

Angelus.

His scent was unmistakable as it was his also that he followed the trail to Willow.

His eyes widened. _Wait._ Anger so great rose up in him, a whiplash of fury, at what he senses were revealing.

Fear.

Blood.

Willow.

Her scent all over him as if he had bathed in her, drank her essence in.

The demon could not, would not be contained as it snarled and growled and ripped its way out in rage. Angelous had dared touch his girl, his mate. And now he would be nothing but dust.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch. 12 Wounds upon a Knife's Edge

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Review please. They make me all kinds of happy.


	12. Wounds Upon a Knife's Edge

**Summary**: In a land divided and at war between man and demon, what happens when one does the unthinkable and falls for the enemy?

**Disclaimer**: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the BtVS and AtS characters. There is no intention of copyright infringement or monetary gain in the borrowing of characters. They are used only for entertainment purpose.

**Previously on Enemy Mine: **Angelous and his Childes enter the scene. Tara's cloaking spell breaks down. Angelous hears Oz' name and goes after him. Cordelia tries to protect Oz and attacks Angelous, only to end up meeting Spike. Oz comes up upon the barrier and the Werewolf and the Vampire General clash.

**Ch 12 Wounds upon a Knife's Edge**

Giles could do nothing but watch in horror as their teams separated in their struggle to protect each other. He knew Buffy's call was the only one if they were going to try to retrieve Willow, but now Oz was gone as well as Cordelia and Buffy went to go after them soon thereafter. Their strongest were gone. Xander and Wesley could not keep up much of the pace the vampires were putting them through for much longer.

As Xander kept shooting, one vampire passed through and lunged at him. Xander stumbled and almost fell with the weight of the vampire. The vampire missed the neck but bit through to the shoulder. Xander screamed in pain but brought up the rifle and twirled it in his hand. Putting as much strength in his blow, Xander cracked the butt of the riffle against the vampire's head, effectively dislodging him but taking a huge chunk out of his flesh with him.

As soon as that vampire was dislodged another came at him while he was disoriented and occupied, grabbing the riffle, intent on disarming him. Xander kicked him away at the same time that he dislodged a special grenade of holy water and firewater from his belt and threw it at the cluster of vampires that had come almost upon Giles and Tara. The vial exploded and began to burn and lick away like strips of fire the flesh of the vampires. Xander spun toward the Watcher and Wicca and kicked and hit with rifle the burning vamps away.

By this time, Xander was breathing heavily. His muscles were burning with exertion and fatigue was quickly setting in. He was losing blood from the wound and he could feel his shirt sticking to the left side of his torso were the blood was dripping down.

There was no time to rest though.

Giles looked over at Wesley once Xander resumed to return fire. The younger Watcher had unholstered his gun and was shooting with one hand while he hit with the other hand holding the empty crossbow and kicked the vamps away.

"Fuck."

Giles turned back at Xander's exclamation. He had run out of ammo and was in the process of reloading. A vamp got too close and Xander kicked him away. Knowing he didn't have the time to lose, he hit another vampire with the rifle while he unholstered his gun. He dropped the rifle when another tried to take it away and switched hands holding the gun. Two were coming at him from wide angles and he just had enough time to shoot one down while he dusted another when he released a thin stake from his wrist brace.

Unfortunately, his aim was off and the bullet went wide and only grazed the vampire's shoulder. He lunged and landed on Xander, making him topple to the ground. His claws dug into Xander's upper arms, puncturing his skin and making him bleed. The vampire reared back to strike, but before he could, Giles kicked out and sent the vampire off Xander.

"Shield." A shield of energy immediately went up on Giles' command and enveloped the Watcher, the passed out Wicca and the wounded soldier.

Xander gingerly sat up and looked on in amazement at the magical shield which crackled in bolts and sparks of electric blue and hot white as the vampires came up against it and were scorched back.

"I'd say that's some nifty trick," said Xander, panting. "One of the coven's special?"

"Um, not quite." Giles managed to sound both serious yet embarrassed.

Xander looked up at the Watcher questionably but got no further explanations. They turned abruptly at Wesley's sudden cry of pain when a vampire got through his defenses and plunged a sword through his thigh.

Xander jumped to his feet and shot at the vampire but the moment the bullet hit the shield, it disintegrated.

"What the..?" Xander exclaimed.

"Oh, no," muttered Giles in horrified comprehension.

"What's going on?" demanded Xander.

"The shield is being boosted with the residual energy that Tara had drawn up from the land . . . And its having consequences."

"Well, do something," Xander ordered as he watched with worry the younger Watcher dust the vampire that had wounded him. He was bleeding profusely and staining his black clothes even darker as the pant leg became saturated.

"Bring it down, now!" demanded Xander as he saw Wesley's leg give out.

As Wesley fell down on one knee…

"Bring it down, Giles!"

…his gaze locked with Xander's frantic one…

"GILES!"

…in bleak realization of his fate.

Giles was muttering something under his breath, his whole body shaking with the effort of trying to control the energy that had strummed throughout his body when it was channeled through him from the land to Tara. His own magical reserves were now warring with the chaotic energy he had inadvertently used to fuel the emergency shield.

"Oh God, no. . ."

Snapping open his eyes but without relenting his internal battle, Giles could do nothing more than watch in horror at what had Xander furious to take down the protective shield.

Wesley had dropped to one knee, his face drawn tight with pain and strain. His chest heaved as he tried to take in breath to compensate with his exertion. His empty crossbow had been wrenched away and his gun had run out of ammo. Before trying to reload, he had staked the vampire who had gotten close enough to take the empty weapon away with his arm brace but the action was futile if desperate in a last ditch attempt to gain a few more precious seconds of life.

The Specialist's Watcher knew he had no time to reload before he was taken down. Time stopped for him as his mind tried furiously to think of a way out. Dozens of scenarios were weighed and discarded in a single heartbeat. Moves and offensive magic-spells flitted through his mind too fast for any one to grasp and use.

There was no time.

A calming sense stole over Wesley as he could do nothing but watch as the vampires neared for his death.

His thoughts stopped.

His racing heart slowed.

And he took one last breath.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rage like he had never felt before coursed through his being. The wolf was in complete control now and Oz' consciousness was banished before the torrent of such stark and intense emotion.

As the vampire had lunged at Oz, the wolf was already in the process of taking control. Not even his strong and powerful will, years of intense training and dedication could quell the beast that co-habited the man. As he went down under the weight of the much larger vampire, his body shifted and transformed. Angelous' fangs savagely embedded on his throat yet the vampire's painful attack was eclipsed amid the fury of the transformation. He gripped the vampire as his nails became claws and punctured and slashed Angelous' back.

Angelous' fangs shredded the werewolf's neck as he reared back in pain.

The werewolf gargled a howl in agony as his almost ripped-out neck dripped out blood in rivulets down his brown pelt. As soon as the vampire had reared back, he swatted him away from him and turned his body in a crouched position, ready for attack.

No sooner had the vampire landed on the ground that he was back on his feet and lunging at the werewolf.

Both came together in a clash of fangs and claws and with the speed and strength that only supernatural beings like them possessed.

The werewolf tried to repay the vampire, doing his utmost to grab a hold of his neck with his snapping jaw of razor-sharp teeth. The vampire had a grip on the side of his head trying to keep him away from him.

Angelous' arms were locked in place and his muscles rigid with strain as he struggled to keep the werewolf away from him. Long and deadly fangs were only inches from his face and he could feel every exhalation of hot breath on his skin.

As a claw came down to swipe him, Angelous twisted sideways with all his strength, simultaneously and effectively pushing Oz away.

Yet the werewolf was not deterred and he took no more than a second to stop his momentum away from the vampire, twist and renew his attack. He landed on the vampire as he was straightening up.

The heavy weight of the werewolf was slowly crushing Angelous' chest as he felt it grind down with the pressure. He bucked and twisted and barely managed to dislodge him as he threw the werewolf off him.

The werewolf snapped back and before Angelous could pick himself from the ground, the werewolf lunged again and sank his fangs deep into the Vampire General's left side.

A pain-filled roar broke from Angelous' throat. He blindly grabbed one heavily muscled appendage and pulled. There was a loud pop and then a horrendous howl.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All three stood still, as if time had stopped solely for them and left them in a vacuum. Everything else receded in the background, fuzzy and unimportant.

Cordelia was sure that something momentous was taking place right before her eyes. Sucked into the tableau by circumstance yet acting as both a key-player and a witness nonetheless.

The Slayer and The Slayer of Slayers were staring at each other, mesmerized. The Seer was staring at them, taking in their situation and cataloging it in her mind as the Seer and special Council member that she was. The whole event had a feel of unreality to it; frozen in a moment of intense clarity, blinding in its brilliance.

Buffy felt like she had been sucker-punched by something incredibly powerful. Her chest constricted and it seemed like there was not enough air for her suddenly starving lungs. He was not what she expected to come up against - ever. To come in contact, to meet, to exist. Her senses, finding themselves suddenly on overload, only captured moments - though sharp and intense - to come to the foreground of her perception. Shocking white-blonde hair. The infamous eyebrow scar. Pronounced cheekbones. Velvety-smooth, translucent skin. A full pale-pink lower lip. Long, black, leather coat. A black belt seated low on lean hips and a flash of steel - a sword strapped to it. Muscular legs encased in leather. And power. So much power that it had her Slayer senses reeling in a conflagration of internal tingles that shivered deep under her skin throughout her whole body. Simultaneously, a deep pull in her womb and in her chest were warring with each other. One that told that she _knew_ him, another that she desperately _needed_ him, both glaringly expressing a connection to him.

His eyes drank her in, taking in her presence whole and simultaneously observing individual details. Long, blonde hair that he fleetingly thought much akin to what he supposed looked like unadulterated sunlight. Startling large hazel eyes. A small nose with an upturned end. Full, glistening, pink lips. And dark clothes, like the others, in her petite yet powerful frame. Spike felt like he had been dealt an incredible blow. His chest constricted and if he had to breathe, he was sure he would be gasping for much needed air. She was not what he expected to come up against - ever. To come in contact, to meet, to exist. He knew her. He _knew_ her. His body pulled to hers and for a moment - one unadulterated, confusing moment - he was back in his delusions, drowning in 'her' essence.

Cordelia warily watched the vampire in fascination as his gaze lost focus for a moment and then snapped back into the present with a flash of amber. A subtle vision entered her mind, and she got the distinct impression of a sinuous entanglement of gossamer limbs and hair of threaded gold. Strange. As quick and ephemeral the vision had entered her mind, so it had left. No muss, no fuss. God, if only they were all so easy. It was a vision nonetheless, and thus somehow important. How, she had yet to figure out. Her instinct was telling her it had to do with William the Bloody, and she was betting that with Buffy as well.

Spike snapped back into himself. In the recess of his mind, he had felt a pull. His sire. Somehow Dru knew what was happening and yanked him back to the present. His pupils dilated and then contracted back in place and his nostrils delicately flared as he took a steadying breath in as he came to. Scents immediately assailed him and he frowned in confusion.

He looked at the dark-haired girl and then at the petit blonde. Both had rich, powerful scents, but where one was darker and fuller, the other was sweeter. He looked at the sword gripped in the dark-haired girl's hand and then at the stake an unexceptional sword gripped in the blond one's. He breathed again to confirm and the churning in his gut intensified. The blond one was the Slayer!

"Bloody hell," Spike breathed out in shocked surprise. He didn't understand why the darker girl held the sword that a past Slayer had used on him and managed to wound. When he'd seen her fighting Angelous, he had assumed she was the Slayer. But she wasn't. The scent confirmed the blonde's identity. Not only had Angelous reeked of it when he had come storming back into the castle, but the dark, full scent - special mixture of woman, demon, blood and fire - exclusively only to Slayers, belonged to her.

'_But how?' _his mind screamed.

Without his leave, his body took one step toward her, but before he could do anything more, a pain-filled roar broke out from the direction of Angelous, quickly followed by a terror-filled human shout from the opposite direction.

His head snapped to his grandsire's direction, his loyalties and responsibilities coming to the fore of his being and pushing everything aside for the moment. Without more thought to the Slayer and the other, he turned and sped away to the Vampire General's side.

Broken from the spell holding her captive by the blonde vampire's presence, Buffy turned to Cordelia. "Go," she ordered, jerking her head toward where Xander's distinct shout to Wesley had come from.

And without waiting if the Seer had moved, the Slayer ran after William the Bloody. . . and inevitably Angelous and Oz.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued: Ch 13 My Dark Unexpected

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: You have no idea how hard it was to finish this chapter. I practically obsessed on how all these characters would meet and the magnitude behind it. Didn't help that I've been super busy and wanting to type was the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day. If it wasn't for all of your wonderful support I might have postponed the chapter -if not the story- for a MUCH longer period of time. But you guys have been great, and every time I get a review, I am reminded not only that my story is being read but that it's being liked as well. You guys are awesome.


End file.
